RDC-7 endorses P200M poverty alleviation fund

CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Development Council-7 has endorsed the establishment of the Regional Poverty Alleviation Fund with an initial budgetary allocation of P200 million.

The RDC-7 recently approved the recommendation of the Development Administration Committee for the establishment of RPAF to serve as a flexible funding source to finance interventions of local government units with poverty incidence equal or higher than 50 percent.

The RPAF will complement and not replace ongoing anti-poverty initiatives of various government agencies.

“There is a need to channel and focus government anti-poverty resources and interventions to LGUs with poverty incidence of 50 percent or higher to succeed in bringing down poverty levels,” reads the approved RDC-7 Resolution dated March 20, 2014.

The RDC-7 will submit a copy of the resolution and the RPAF concept paper to the Department of Budget and Management and the Office of the President for approval and implementation.

Central Visayas has reportedly been among the fastest growing regions in the country with its Gross Regional Domestic Product expanding at an average rate of 9.7 percent during the period 2010-2012.

Notwithstanding its stellar economic performance, the region’s poverty situation hardly improved with poverty incidence among population remaining practically unchanged from 31 percent in 2009 to 30.2 percent in 2012.

Report of the 2009 Small Area Estimates on Poverty prepared by the National Statistical Coordination Board showed that majority of the LGUs have poverty incidence higher than the regional and/or provincial levels.

National government agencies and LGUs are eligible to propose development intervention for RPAF funding.

Projects eligible under RPAF are those that support micro and small enterprise development, provision of agri-fishery inputs, skills development, among others. —/JMO (FREEMAN)