CARAGA’S 6-YEAR PLAN. Regional Development Council Caraga chair and Dinagat Islands Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr. leads the launching of the 2023-2028 Caraga Regional Development Plan (CRDP) in Butuan City on Aug. 9, 2023. The CRDP will be implemented through industrialization and innovation strategies with focus on the region’s strength and resources on fishery, agroforestry, mining, and ecotourism. (Photo courtesy of NEDA-13)
BUTUAN CITY – The Regional Development Council in the Caraga Region (RDC-13) unveiled on Wednesday afternoon the 2023-2028 Caraga Regional Development Plan (CRDP) for economic and social transformation.
“The comprehensive CRDP is seen to transform Caraga region towards prosperity, inclusivity, and resilience,” Dinagat Islands Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr., concurrent RDC-13 chair, told Philippine News Agency in an interview on Thursday.
The CRDP implementation will be anchored on a strategy dubbed i2FAME and seen to unlock the region’s opportunities for value creation and value chain generation by harnessing the transformational potentials of industrialization and innovation, Demerey said.
The i2 stands for industrialization and innovation while FAME represents the Fishery, Agroforestry, Mining and Ecotourism sectors in the region.
Demerey pointed out that the plan represented the collective vision of the region, including its communities and the people.
“The plan is the region’s blueprint in the next six years with a vision to become sustainably developed, culturally responsive, globally competitive,” Demerey said.
It is envisioned that by 2028, the region will achieve 7.0 percent to 8.5 percent growth in its Gross Regional Domestic Product from 5.1 percent to 6.1 percent in 2023.
The plan will also help the region lower its unemployment rate by 2028 to 4.5 percent from 5.7 percent in 2023, and underemployment by 20 percent from the current 25.9 percent.
Key indicators that will guide the plan implementation include the modernization of the agriculture sector; the revitalization of major industries through the expansion of market production and supplies; the promotion of trade and investments; sound fiscal management and improved taxation.
Also included as indicators are the expansion and upgrading of infrastructures; improved peace and security; industrialization and innovation in fishery, agroforestry, mining, and ecotourism; and accelerated climate action and strengthening of disaster resilience.
Additionally, the six-year plan aims to improve health services, education and learning opportunities, livable communities, income-earning capacities, food security, social protection, basic services, research and development, technology and innovation, and the financial sector's inclusivity and health.
“With the resources and vast potentials of our region, we are hopeful and optimistic that Caraga will be able to achieve high growth and sustainable development,” Demerey said.
Joining the development plan launching on Wednesday were National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Carlos Bernardo Abad-Santos and NEDA-13 Director Priscilla Sonido.
Abad-Santos, in his message, said the CRDP showcased the region's dedication to shift from a raw materials-dependent economy to one that adds value through manufacturing and processing.
“The i2FAME strategy is aligned with our national vision of ‘Ambisyon Natin 2040’ as well as the development goal strategies outlined in the Philippine Development Plan 2022 to 2028,” he said.
Sonido, for her part, said the CRDP will contribute to the attainment of the country’s long-term vision of a “Matatag, Maginhawa, at Panatag na Buhay Para sa Lahat.’”
She added that Caraga’s six-year development plan will require around PHP920.4 billion in funding, (PNA)
