By Francis Allan L. Angelo
WESTERN Visayas is one of the fastest growing areas in the Philippines outside Metro Manila, according to the Regional Development Council (RDC).
Based on the State of the Region Address of Antique Governor Salvacion Z. Perez, RDC chairperson, Western Visayas is the 3rd fastest growing regional economy in the last three years.
Western Visayas’ economy, as measured by the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP), grew at a slower pace of 4.4% in 2008 from a 7.7% growth in 2007.
But Presentacion A. Penpillo, NSCB regional director, said Western Visayas’ GRDP is the 4th largest contributor to the country’s GDP and the 4th fastest growing among the 17 regions in the country.
The GRDP of Western Visayas was consistently higher than the national GDP in the past two years.
The NSCB data showed that in 2007 and 2008, Western Visayas’ GRDP growth surpassed the national GDP growth by 0.06 percentage points.
The region’s GRDP in 2007 was 7.7 percent as against 7.1 percent national GDP and 4.4 percent as against the 3.8 percent national GDP in 2008.
Ms. Penpillo said the region’s contribution to the national GDP slightly increased; from 7.20 percent in 2007, it rose to 7.24 percent or a difference of 0.04 percent.
Agriculture remains as the main economic engine of Western Visayas, especially that the region was second largest palay producer next to Central Luzon in 2009.
The growing demand for muscovado, livestock and poultry were also vital factors to the region’s economic growth.
The RDC also noted that the region’s total exports increased by 44 percent last year, while imports went up by 27 percent.
The increase in exports is attributed to the One Town-One Product Program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) which helped develop 2,000 home-based micro-enterprises.
The development of these micro-enterprises led to production of processed food, fabrics, jewelries, metal, bamboo/wood, shell crafts, furniture and other gift items, thus the higher export level last year.
The implementation of the blue desk jobs program employed 17,808 graduates locally and overseas.
Also, the opening of 24 call centers and other business process outsourcing firms in highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod employed 8,492 workers.
The Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP), which was meant to ease the effects of the global financial crisis, employed 24,941 individuals last year.
In terms of environmental protection, the RDC-6 said the Western Visayas Water Summit in Bacolod City paved the way for the creation of a regional body that will monitor and arbitrate sectors competing for water resources.
The RDC also initiated summits which encouraged investors in renewable sources of energy such as wind, solar, bio-mass and hydro power, to enter the region.
This year, the RDC is looking upbeat on two megabuck projects – the P4.9-billion Panay River Flood Control Project in Capiz and the P712-million Integrated System Operation Efficiency Improvement Project for irrigation facilities damaged by Typhoon Frank in Antique and Aklan.
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