President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his address from the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang complex on March 30, 2020. KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
President Rodrigo Duterte formalized the “Balik Probinsya, Balik Pag-asa” Program (BPBPP) that aims to decongest Metro Manila by encouraging people to move back to their provinces and promote more robust regional development.
“The State shall ensure balanced regional development and equitable distribution of wealth, resources and opportunities through policies and programs that boost countryside development and inclusive growth, provide adequate social services, and promote full employment, industrialization and an improved quality of life in rural areas,” Duterte’s Executive Order No. 114 signed Wednesday stated.
Mindanao Development Authority chairperson Emmanuel Piñol said Zamboanga del Norte will be the first rural resettlement model for informal urban dwellers who would like to take part in the BPBPP.
“The uncontrolled upsurge of population in the National Capital Region brings to the fore longstanding issues on the lack of viable and sustainable employment opportunities in the countryside, unbalanced regional development and unequal distribution of wealth,” the EO stated.
“To reverse migration to the NCR and other congested metropolises, as well as to attain rural prosperity through equal distribution of wealth, resources and opportunities, a balanced regional development program to foster socially cohesive, resilient and sustainable rural communities needs to be institutionalized.”
The EO establishes the “Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Council” to be chaired by the Executive Secretary and vice-chaired by the Socio-Economic Planning Secretary.
Members of the council are the secretaries of the Department of Agriculture (DA); Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); Department of Budget and Management (DBM); Department of Education (DepEd); Department of Environment of Natural Resources (DENR); Department of Health (DOH); Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD); Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG); Department of Information and Technology (DICT); Department of Finance (DOF); Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); Department of Tourism (DOT);; Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Transportation (DoTR).
Also included are the chairpersons of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and the director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The general manager of the National Housing Authority (NHA) will lead the council’s secretariat.
The council is tasked to “identify legislative, regulatory, and policy changes to promote balanced regional development and recommend to Congress the enactment of such reforms into law.”
It is also directed to coordinate with local government units to formulate policies and implement the program’s components.
The BPBPP’s key areas are empowerment of local industries, food security and agricultural productivity, social welfare, health and employment, and development of infrastructure.
The Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Council shall submit a bi-annual report on the implementation of the program to the President.
Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also implemented a Balik Probinsiya program encouraging informal settlers living along the train tracks of the Philippine National Railways to relocate to the province. The administration then was implementing the North Rail project. (Rommel F. Lopez)