Cebu Infra forum
 23 May 2008

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Today, leaders from government, the business sector, and civil society will meet at the Waterfront Hotel here in Cebu City for the National Infrastructure Forum.

Already the fourth, such Forum after Davao, Dagupan and Manila, the Cebu Forum will gather some 300 business and government leaders, including Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado, and Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña.

As the government has been calling for wider involvement in development, the forum has become one of the platforms for integrating public-private partnerships in our infrastructure program.

In the forum, we will provide updates on the status of the government’s priority infrastructure projects, numbering 149 as of now, including 52 priority projects in Central Philippines.

In addition, the forum highlight the massive infrastructure buildup that will not only bring in investments and spur economic growth but also create employment in the country side.

In the 2006 State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, she unveiled a development strategy anchored on the Super Regions, to wit: 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 (LUB) 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 in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), 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.

For the Central Philippines Super Region, tourism is the overriding theme, reflective of the Region’s unique and lush greenery, bio-diverse ecosystem, beaches, and other natural wonders.

Before the year ends, about half of the over all targets for Central Philippines’ projects will be accomplished.

Some members of the Pro-Performance System (PPS) steering committee will join the forum, namely: Caritas Manila Executive Director Fr. Anton Pascual, representing the religious groups; Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas vice chairman Ruperto "Jun" Nicdao, representing the media; and National Youth Commission chairman Richard Nalupta, representing the youth.

Also attending the forum are AusAID Counsellor Sam Zappia and Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Eduardo Gaisano.

Other development partners attending the forum are the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID); The Asia Foundation (TAF); foreign and local chambers including the American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI); development banks; provincial and local governments; and line agencies.

The PPS is an offshoot of the Infrastructure Monitoring Task Force created by President Arroyo in August 2006, which was in turn a consolidation of the Regional Project Monitoring and Evaluation System established by government in 1987.

With the public-private partnership in the PPS steering committee, together with our other development partners from the business and private sectors, and the local governments, church and youth groups, we are laying the strong foundation for achieving the President’s ambition to bring the country to modernity in 20 years.

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