Cordi least developed despite multi-billion SONA projects

By Dexter A. See

Baguio City — Despite its 22 years of existence as an administrative region, Cordillera remains one of the least developed regions in the country today with its road network being one of the worst despite multi-billion-peso infrastructure projects committed by President Arroyo.

This was the observation of Juan Ngalob, regional director of the National Economic Development Authority and acting chairman of the Regional Development Council in the Cordillera.

Ngalob said there is still a lot to be done in terms of improving the region’s infrastructure facilities.

He said the committed SoNA (state-of-the-nation address) projects involve only the trunkline that links the Cordillera provinces to the Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley.

These development projects are considered significant compared to the previous situation of the major road networks in the region.

But Ngalob cited the need to fully develop the roads from Kalinga to the northern tip of Apayao as well as from the southern tip of Benguet to the Ilocos Region.

The NEDA official said the status of development of the whole region shows that outside Baguio City, almost 97 percent of the investments are coming from the government. This raises the need to expand private investments in other suitable areas, especially in urban centers, could could serve the needs of multi-national companies.

He said the multi-billion-peso Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resources Management Project (CHARMP) I and II, the Highland Agricultural Development Project (HADP), and the Central Cordillera Agricultural Project (CECAP) I and II are purely government-initiated, foreign-assisted projects intended to improve the condition of the agriculture sector in the region.

The present state of development in the region confirms a recent publication of the National Statistics Coordination Board which listed Cordillera as the second internal revenue allotment (IRA) dependent region in the country due to the absence of investments in the rural areas which are not reached by road networks.

Ngalob said the existence of better roads in the region would surely spell the difference in the economic status of the different provinces because the development of the vital linkages is still far from over despite the huge funds allotted for the Halsema Highway rehabilitation project and the upgrading of the Bontoc-Tabuk-Tuguegarao road.

On July 15, 1987, former President Corazon C. Aquino signed Executive Order No. 220 creating the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) which is composed of the provinces of Benguet, Mountain Province, Abra, and Baguio City (from Region I) and Ifugao, Kalinga, and Apayao (from Region II).