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Palace solicits big business help for Gloria’s infra goals

By Ayen Infante

05/08/2008

Malacañang yesterday sought the help of the business community for the speedy completion of major infrastructure projects all over the country.

Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Director General Cerge Remonde urged members of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) to support the implementation of President Arroyo’s 149 priority infrastructure projects.

This was highlighted in a speech delivered at PCCI’s General Membership meeting and induction ceremonies held at Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.

Remonde stressed the Arroyo administration wants the involvement of the private and business sector including local government units to finish these flagship projects mostly located in different priority sites by 2010 or in time for the next Presidential elections.

He said the projects were part of Mrs. Arroyo’s vision and roadmap for the country.

President Arroyo, in her 2007 State of the Nation Address, envisioned the Philippines as a modernized society in 20 years, he said.

This is the central theme of the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) and the Medium-Term Public Investment Program (MTPIP), he added.

To realize this vision, he added, the President unveiled the super region as the development blue print. The “super region” strategy groups regions and provinces by their economic strengths and provides for massive infrastructure investments to stimulate economic growth, spread development away from an inequitable concentration in Metro Manila, and set the country in step with its Asian neighbors.

The following super regions were formed with their respective development themes: The North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle (NLAQ), which covers the Ilocos and Cordillera regions and the northern part of Central Luzon, shall focus on agribusiness development; The Luzon Urban Beltway shall serve as a globally competitive logistics and services hub spanning from Central Luzon to the Calabarzon down to the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, and Marinduque; The Central Philippines, with its central theme of tourism development, is composed of the entire Bicol region, the Visayas, as well as the provinces of Palawan, Romblon and the islands of Camiguin, and Siargao; The Mindanao agribusiness super region, which covers the whole of Mindanao and the autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao, shall also focus on agribusiness development; and The cyber corridor, which spans from Baguio to Davao, shall promote information and communications technology and the knowledge economy.