High-ranking officials from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are here for a two-day visit to key project sites around the province which the international financial institution extended as part of long-term rehabilitation efforts following the Guinsaugon disaster in 2006.
C. Lawrence Greenwood, Jr., ADB Vice-President, and Neeraj Jain, ADB Philippine Country Director, arrived yesterday afternoon and they were met by Gov. Damian Mercado in front of the capitol building.
They then walked straight to the Provincial Disaster Management Center (PDMC) just across the capitol building for a briefing and interaction on the Southern Leyte Landslide Disaster Assistance Project (SLLDAP).
Gov. Mercado expressed heartfelt gratitude to the visiting ADB officials for the assistance and assistance they gave to the province, even suggesting his “hope to have more ADB assistance.”
For his part, ADB Vice President Greenwood also aired his thanks that they have become “part of efforts to help the people of Southern Leyte, especially the victims of the 2006 disaster,” adding it is their eagerness to prepare and manage impact of disasters.
He hinted as a response to the insinuation of Gov. Mercado on having follow-up projects on agriculture and infrastructure, saying “we will continue talking with the Governor about it.”
Provincial Planning Officer Virginia Lim Cruz presented the comprehensive profile of the province, while Provincial Engineer Fernando Moralde conducted the SLLDAP project briefing.
The project?s objective was to rehabilitate and reconstruct vital infrastructure facilities in the province that were damaged by the February, 2006 landslides, and the provision of long-term disaster risk mitigation measures, Engr. Moralde reported.
He said among the specific objectives to be achieved included (1) rehab of farm-to-market roads and construction of access roads, (2) upgrading the facilities and services of the provincial hospital and the Anahawan District hospital, (3) construction of an elementary school with complete facilities in Saint Bernard, and provision of additional classrooms to elementary and secondary schools, and (4) establishment of the Provincial Disaster Management Center (PDMC).
The SLDDAP project, which was approved and effective on December 15, 2006, covered a duration of two and one-half years until July 31, 2009 for $ 3Million in allotment, the fund source coming from Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) coursed through ADB, Moralde said, adding that 97% have been accomplished thus far.
After Moralde?s presentation, ADB Vice President Greenwood declared he was impressed with the implementation and the efficiency of the project.
Top ADB officials visit project sites in Southern Leyte, Philippines
Today and tomorrow, Greenwood and his staff, accompanied by key provincial officials and Schools Division Superintendent Violeta Alocilja, will go around other towns in the pacific area and in Sogod Bay of the province, including hospitals and schools, to visit the other ADB-funded projects.
Philippines GDP up 4.86% during President Arroyo’s term
An average growth of 4.86 percent (%) in the gross domestic product (GDP) was posted by the Arroyo Administration from 2001-2008, the highest since 1966.
The average growth of GDP posted during the past administrations are as follows: Aquino, 3.3 percent (%), Ramos, 3.6 percent (%), Estrada, 4.7 percent (%).
In “Peso” terms, the GDP, under Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo grew by 2.23 times since 2001, while the gross national product (GNP) grew from $76 billion in 2001 to $186 billion in 2008.
During the first quarter of 2009, the GDP stood at $129 billion and posted a peak growth of 8.3 percent (%) in the second quarter of 2007, the highest in 30 years.
(PIA)
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