FROM being the country’s top migrant-sending region, the Ilocos region aims to be the Philippines’s agribusiness and tourism hub to boost its local economy. Economists expect the regional GDP to rise above 7 percent annually until 2022.
In the region’s Regional Development Plan (RDP), Ilocos intends to grow its GDP by around 7.2 percent to 8 percent annually in the medium term. This is higher than the average growth of 5.4 percent the region posted during the years 2010 up to 2015.
The RDP is accompanied by an investment program that outlines the list of projects and programs that needs to be undertaken in the medium term.
The government intends to spend P589.7 billion for various projects and programs that will help attain the agribusiness and tourism hub title over the course of six years.
“Region 1 shall be the agribusiness and tourism hub in the Northern Philippines with equitable economic opportunities for its globally competitive, happy, resilient and culturally diverse peoples [by 2022],” the plan read.
Promising
FILOMENO Ferrer, owner of Ferrer Farm Supply, expressed optimism on the RDP but noted the plan could only be successful if the government continues to uphold its promise to limit importation of agricultural products.
“There will be higher income for farmers and our business, which helps with our problem with low prices,” Ferrer told the BusinessMirror. “We never had trouble selling since there were always people buying. The main problem was the low prices our products were being availed at.”
Pepito Go, owner of Liberty Rico’s Corn Trading, for his part said the agricultural sector is a sustainable business because of high demand.
“Our region continues to be rich in agricultural lands, where corn and rice production are almost concentrated,” Go said. “Regardless of economic situation, our product remains highly [sellable] given local constant market demand.”
He explained this is so because Filipinos “are top in rice consumption.”
“Our product [likewise] is not only catered [by] households, because corn is also used as feeds for poultry, piggery and fishery.”
However, Go said, the government should look into the decreasing size of farmlands and low farm-gate prices. The decreasing farm size is linked with the conversion of farmlands into commercial and residential use.
According to Go, the government should provide an elbow room so businesses could introduce new technology to boost production.
Tourism hub
The investment program for the Ilocos region, however, still requires an additional spending by as much as 62 percent, or P363.6 billion, for the social development sector.
Caroline Castro of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the economic, governance and environment sectors require a total of P22.67 billion between 2017 and 2022.
Only 34 percent, or P203.4 billion, to note, is allocated for infrastructure.
The importance of this latter allocation could be better appreciated in the face of Region 1’s agri-tourism vision.
A number of 995,710 tourists have visited Region 1 last year. Of these, a majority (53.15 percent) went to Pangasinan. La Union attracted 37.61 percent, while Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte shared 5.25 percent and 3.99 percent, respectively.
The national government has already begun laying down the foundation for the region’s transformation into a tourism hub with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allocating as much as P1.6 billion to improve infrastructure in Pangasinan this year. This accounts for half of the P3.3-billion budget allocated for Region 1’s infrastructure development.
Local support
THE Office of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Secretary of Pangasinan approved the Local Road Network Development Plan (LRNDP) 2018-2022 in January.
The LRNDP serves as “an integrated five-year development plan for the sustainable development of provincial road networks and contains core road projects [that] were selected based on prioritization criteria and consistent with and in support of the goals and objectives of the provincial government of Pangasinan.”
The local government also included in the proposed P1.6-billion budget several projects to improve tourism facilities and buildings, such as rest areas, view decks and boardwalks.
A road project that was implemented six years ago is seen as having helped boost the region’s chances of becoming a premier tourist destination in the country.
Agri-tourism
THE marriage of agriculture and tourism starts in La Union, which aims to bag by 2025 the title of being the “Heart of Agri-Tourism in North Luzon.”
Achieving this goal includes the recent reopening of the Honeybee Center as well as the Mabanag Hall. The latter will be converted into a multipurpose building to become the new La-Union Agri-Tourism Center.
Meanwhile, Ilocos Norte aims to complete the Metro Ilocos Master Plan for Tourism, which will “connect and integrate the cities and towns of Ilocos Norte as one.”
The master plan aims to redefine the “cultural footprint and help sustain its natural treasures as a contemporary tourism hub on a par with global trends.”
Ilocos Norte’s tourism plan will focus on the Cape of Bojeador Lighthouse, the Pasuquin Mangrove in Davila, the Kapupuraoan Rock Formation and Paoay Church.
The plan also intends to transform the Port of Currimao into a “seaport economy” and transportation hub.
Image credits: Helgidinson | Dreamstime.com, Alexey Kornylyev | Dreamstime.com