NEDA tags 39 priority projects in Eastern Visayas for regular monitoring

TACLOBAN CITY, June 28 (PNA) -– At least 39 individual and clustered government projects in Eastern Visayas have been identified by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) as priority for quarterly monitoring this year, citing its contribution to the attainment of the Regional Development Plan (RDP).

This locally-funded and foreign-backed projects have been picked by the NEDA-led Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC) given its high cost (PHP100 million and above), approval of the Investment Coordination Committee costing PHP1 billion and above, substantial negative slippage, and importance to post-disaster recovery.

“We have to ensure timely implementation of programs critical to the attainment of the regional development strategies and targets as spelled out in the RDP, regional development investment program, and results matrices,” said NEDA Regional Director Bonifacio Uy.

“Considering the limited technical and logistical resources to monitor all programs and projects, we need to identify priorities.”

These projects consists of five post-disaster reconstruction, six irrigations and drainages, 10 roads and bridges, five tourism support infrastructure, road for conflict-stricken areas in Samar provinces, two airport development projects, two seaport upgrading, three health-related support projects, 

environment sector support, three anti-poverty projects, and conditional cash transfer.

For post-disaster projects, on the list are early recovery activities for poor towns, permanent housing for typhoon-hit families, Asian Development Bank-Assisted Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan, 

Roadmap to Address Impact of El Niño, and construction and rehabilitation of school buildings.

Irrigation projects listed for monitoring are Help for Catubig Agricultural Enhancement Project in Northern Samar, Hibulangan Small Reservoir in Leyte, Bantayan Irrigation in Northern Samar, Bugko Irrigation in Northern Samar, Sta. Rita Small Reservoir in Samar, and Calbiga Irrigation in Samar.

Foreign-funded roads are the Secondary National Roads Development Project linking Samar and Eastern Samar and Pacific Coastal Road connecting Eastern Samar and Northern Samar.

Locally-funded roads are the Babatngon-San Miguel-Barugo-Carigara Road, Leyte-Calubian-San Isidro-Tabango-Villaba Road, Burauen-Albuera Road, and Ormoc Diversion Road in Leyte province; Catbalogan Diversion Road in Samar; Arteche-Jipapad-Las Navas-Catubig Road and Taft-Oras-San Policarpo-Arteche-Lapinig Road within the boundary of Eastern Samar and Northern Samar.

Tourism support projects include improvement of road leading to Llorente Closed Canopy Forest Area in Maydolong, Eastern Samar; access road to Lulugayan Falls in Calbiga, Samar; Higatangan Circumferential Road in Naval, Biliran; access road leading to Napantao Dive site in San Francisco, 

Southern Leyte; and road leading to Maasin City tourism loop in Southern Leyte.

Also listed are Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) projects of the Office of the Presidential on the Peace Process. These are roads leading to isolated, hard-to-reach, conflict-affected areas in three provinces of Samar Island.

For airports and seaports, these are Tacloban Airport Redevelopment Project in Leyte, Maasin Airport terminal building in Southern Leyte, Tacloban seaport improvement in Leyte, and Ormoc port pier widening also in Leyte.

For the health sector, the NEDA will regularly check the multi-million peso Health Facilities Enhancement Program in six provinces, foreign-funded strengthening maternal and child health services, and the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center Modernization Project.

Another major project is the National Greening Program under the environment sector.

The RPMC will also check three major poverty alleviation projects – Fish Coral, Philippine Rural Development Projects, Bottom-Up Budgeting, and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

The RPMC is the Regional Development Council’s project monitoring arm tasked to evaluate, formulate, and recommend on the implementation of development plans and programs in the region. (PNA)
JMC/SARWELL Q. MENIANO