Tacloban: The 2023-2028 Regional Development Plan (RDP) for Eastern Visayas is currently undergoing a review to evaluate the region’s performance during the first half of the current administration.
According to Philippines News Agency, the assessment of this long-term plan involved a series of extensive multi-sector and multi-level consultations throughout the region, spearheaded by planning committees. Meylene Rosales, the vice chairperson of the Regional Development Council (RDC) and regional director of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), highlighted the importance of updating the RDP as required by law, given that it is midway through its implementation period.
Rosales explained that the update is necessary to address both positive and negative developments and to identify areas where the region has either exceeded or failed to meet its targets. Since July, DEPDev has been organizing workshops for 14 priority sectors and subsectors identified in the comprehensive 405-page RDP. The goal is to complete the updating process by the end of October, with an endorsement expected at the RDC full council meeting.
The midterm review aims to ensure that the plan aligns with the region’s shifting development priorities. The outcomes of the performance assessment and strategy review will contribute to the updated RDP, which will be executed during the remaining years of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration.
The objectives under the 2023-2028 RDP for Eastern Visayas include achieving an economic growth rate of at least 7.5 percent, reducing joblessness to 5 percent, lowering poverty incidence to 16.7 percent, and maintaining food and headline inflation rates between 2 percent and 4 percent. As of 2024, the region’s unemployment rate stands at 2.8 percent, with poverty incidence at 20.3 percent in 2023, and last year’s average inflation rate was 3.1 percent.
The RDP emphasizes enhancing the competitiveness of services, boosting the sector’s productivity and innovation, and advancing the creative and gig economy while considering workforce upgrades and sectoral advancements. DEPDev sees potential for economic growth and poverty reduction in the region through agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, and tourism.
Priority commodities in the region include coconut, abaca, high-value crops, livestock, poultry, and fisheries. Further potential for employment and development lies in industries such as copper, processed marine products, processed fruits, abaca, natural health products, wearable art, other agribusinesses, and digital services.
Eastern Visayas, situated in the mid-eastern part of the Philippines, serves as a vital link between the north and south of the country. It comprises six provinces: Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte.
