CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Governor Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda and 2nd district Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo led the drafting of thePampanga Development Plan and policy direction for the year 2010-2013 with a battle cry dubbed, “Love Pampanga.”
This developed as Pineda, Arroyo, 2nd District Rep. Tarzan Lazatin, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, members of the Pampanga Mayors’ League led by Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, some regional directors of national line agencies and all municipal planning and development officers (MPDOs) in the province had convened during a seminar workshop on planning, coordination and alliance building facilitated by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) led by Ambassador Mai Jimenez , Dr. Beth Manugue and Gabby Lopez held at Subic International Hotel from November 11 to 12.
The seminar workshop and the formulation of the Pampanga Development Plan was initiated by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) led by Regional Director Florida M. Dijan and Provincial Director Angie Blanco.
The discussion and deliberation on the proposed development plan was spearheaded by Rep. Arroyo who demonstrated her expertise and experience in governance.
During the workshop, the mayors and their MPDOs had shared their inputs on the priority projects in their respective municipalities and districts in terms of infrastructure, environment, tourism, welfare and trade and industry.
The development plan focuses on the basic task of providing prosperity for the greatest number of the people of Pampanga through the following pillars:
A healthy and secure population who are fully and decently employed, and enjoying the fruits of economic prosperity; infrastructure support to achieve this; environmental sustainability; all to be attained through efficient and effective governance.
While this may be a tall order, the two lady officials believe that with the cooperation and active involvement of all stakeholders, “we shall achieve the Pampanga that we deserve because we shall have worked for it”.
With the development plan discussed in detail with the concerned parties, Arroyo, who facilitated the planning workshop, was able to gather the essential information relative to the current situation, the problems, the resources, the possible courses of action and recommendations that formed part of the plan.
Pineda, on the other hand, expressed full support of the provincial government to the execution of the plan and enjoined the participants to give their “full commitment to the attainment of the goals for a truly progressive Pampanga”.
It can be noted that most of the inputs in the Pampanga Development Plan were part of the recommendation and consultation with the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry headed by Rene Romero through the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) headed by Region III Director Remigio Mecado.
The development plan pinpoints strategies that would help achieve its objectives such as well-managed disaster risks and mitigation measures against floods, landslides and other calamities, infrastructure support to complement existing ones such as the SCTEX, NLEX, and DMIA.
According to Pineda, Pampanga has many things going for it such as its being one of the 10 most developed provinces in the country, its having no sixth class municipalities, and its good investment and employment picture in Central Luzon for the year 2009.
However, she emphasized the need to do more and accomplish better “because Pampanga’s potentials for progress are great and many of its resources need to be fully tapped” and for sustained progress to be attained.
She and Arroyo thanked the heads of the provincial departments, the mayors and their municipal development and planning officers, the directors of national line agencies in the Central Luzon for “giving the planning workshop their precious time and sharing their important inputs towards the fleshing out of an appropriate development plan for the province”. (Pampanga PIO)
