Salceda heads Bicol RDC anew

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has appointed Albay Gov. Joey S. Salceda to a second term as Bicol Regional Development Council (RDC) chairman, along with eight others for their respective regions.

For having stirred the long sluggish Bicol economy to a pulsating growth spurt in his first term as Bicol RDC chairman, Salceda was recently re-elected unopposed and was subsequently appointed by Malacañang.

RDC chairs are voted by members in the regional level, but their election is subject to presidential approval. They are appointed as such being presidential economic advisers in their respective areas, under the guidance of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Under his stewardship, Bicol has been transformed from a laggard region to the country’s fastest growing area with 8.7 percent GDP growth versus the national 1.1 percent rate in 2009.  

Also appointed with Salceda to lead the BRDC is Fr. Leo Casas of the Masbate Social Action Foundation Inc., as co-chairman representing the private sector. As BRDC chairman, Salceda has among his priorities the completion of the Southern Luzon International Airport (SLIA) in Barangay Alobo, Daraga town, which got a P3.4- billion allocation early this year.

SLIA is expected to boost tourism and spur the long needed economic growth South of Manila. It is the brainchild of Salceda himself when he was still Albay’s third district representative, which he patiently pushed through three past Presidents of the country, getting its strongest support in the present administration in terms of financial requirements.  

Aside from tourism-supportive infrastructure development, Salceda has espoused spatial integration of Bicol through multi-modal transport system particularly the Manila-Matnog Railways and the Bicol Alternate Highway, Bicol River Basin as anchor project of agricultural modernization, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, MDG catchup programs through conditional cash transfers, universal Philhealth coverage and local ownership of targets, green energy development anchored by the 640-MW geothermal reserves of Albay and hydro and wind energy.