Regional Development Agenda Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX) With cautious optimism, Zamboanga Peninsula treads toward its most logical destination, that of evolving into a major player in the national economic arena. The region is eyeing at making a more significant contribution to the country’s GNP, having a bigger participation in the export market, and firming up stronger trade links with other regions and with the economies of Southeast Asia. Under the Strong Republic Nautical Highway, Dapitan City in Region IX is Mindanao’s closest gateway to Visayas and Luzon – 2 hours by fastcraft to Dumaguete City in Visayas, or 4 hours by roll-on-roll-off (RORO) ship. The region’s strategic location and its rich natural resources are indicative of its potentials in assuming a pivotal role in further strengthening Mindanao’s trade link with BIMP-EAGA, and other countries in the East and South, particularly the Muslim countries in the Middle East, the New Zealand and Australian Bloc, respectively. It is therefore the country’s Southern Gateway to the rest of the world. Its vast coastline of 1,330 kilometers and access to five (5) of the richest fishing grounds in the country – the Sulu Sea, Moro Gulf, Sindangan Bay, Pilas Channel, and Celebes Sea – and its diverse marine life and ecosystem, home to exotic and export- oriented marine resources, makes the region Mindanao’s Coastal Fishery Center. Over the next decade, the overall development agenda for the region entails a more serious investment on physical infrastructures and human capital, the first being aimed at forging greater physical and economic integration of the region’s cities and provinces with the rest of the country; the second, being geared at building people’s competencies and capabilities to face new market challenges, adapt to changes in technology, and contend with higher technical manpower demands of a growing economy. The ensuing Regional Development Agenda, therefore, shall focus on the region’s highest priorities, as they relate to the overall development vision of the region. A. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENDA The region is the largest rubber producer, the biggest manufacturer of canned sardines, and the capital of bottled sardines in the Philippines. Its major agribusiness activities include coconut oil milling, wood processing, and seaweed processing, rubber and fish processing. It is important to note that Fishing Sub Sector accounts for about half of the total Agricultural output in the region. To help realize Mindanao’s agribusiness and aquaculture/mariculture potentials, emphasis will focus on the strengthening and establishment of agri-processing centers – the Provincial Industrial Centers in Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte; Pagadian City; Ipil, 1 Zamboanga Sibugay; Isabela City and the Dapitan-Dipolog-Polanco-Katipunan-Roxas- Manukan Growth Corridor. Specific action agenda to address these priorities may include the following: a. Promoting greater processing of agricultural raw products, such as coconut, processed fish, mango, rubber, seaweeds, abaca, banana, cassava and calamansi, shift to higher value crops, and development of agri-based industries thru the network of agri-processing centers and growth corridors in the region. b. Expanding agri-fishing output through diffused modern production technologies, more public investment in industrial infrastructure, technical assistance and agricultural research. This will address productive potential of small agricultural and industrial producers. c. Shifting land use and development of its 89,000 hectares of idle grasslands into the production of high value commercial crops for agri-processing and exports. d. Judicious exploitation of mineral resources guided by Minahang Bayan, Mineral Action Plan, and Philippine Mining Act. e. Irrigation of remaining irrigable area of about 28,000 hectares to propel the region into rice self-sufficiency and exporter within the decade. f. Supporting SMEs to diversify economic activities in the rural areas, particularly in the processing of agricultural products, and in producing a variety of consumer goods. g. Serious investment in trade and tourism promotion thru trade fairs, business- market matching, and trade missions, as well as, technical assistance and upgrading programs for SMEs. h. Promoting more vigorously the Zambo Ecozone in Zamboanga City, the Provincial Agri-Industrial Centers in the three provinces, and strengthening the 17 Integrated Development Areas or IDAs across the region. i. Distributing and developing the remaining CARP lands to tenant farmers estimated at about 3,400 hectares or 90.0 percent of undistributed lands to free productivity constraints in agriculture and enhance poverty reduction efforts in the countryside. B. INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT FACILITIES AGENDA There will be more investments on physical infrastructures in order to achieve greater physical integration and better functional linkages between and among the agriculture, industry and services sectors in the region and with the rest of the economy. 2 Most SONA-funded projects in the region are nearing completion – the Zamboanga West Coast Road Project and the Dapitan – Dakak Road Project, as well as, the rehabilitation and improvement of the Zamboanga International Airport, Pagadian City and Dipolog City Airports. All other major arteries are open, functional and at varying stages of paving works – 1,146.23 kilometers of national roads and 252 bridges. Under the DA, 87 farm-to-market road segments covering 347.53 kilometers were approved in 2008 and at different stages of construction. Zamboanga Base port is the only free port in Mindanao. It is far cheaper to travel from Malaysia to Zamboanga by boat than from Zamboanga to Manila by plane. Dapitan City’s Pulauan port, refurbished and much improved, is the region’s nearest link to the Visayas and Luzon regions. Pagadian City port is the closest take-off point of the region by sea to the rest of Mindanao. Roughly 80.0 percent of households have access to potable water, and almost 90.0 percent of the region is fully energized. More than 50.0 percent of the region’s irrigable areas are developed, while 21 flood control facilities already in place with 17 more to be constructed or undergoing construction. Except for only three municipalities in Zamboanga del Norte, the entire region has access to Cellular Mobile Technology. Infrastructure development will focus on the following areas: 1. Completing a fully integrated regional transport network. 2. Full energization and access to water supply. 3. Flood Control and Drainage systems in all flood-prone areas; 4. More irrigation systems for rice self-sufficiency. Specifically, the action agenda for the above are as follows: a. Continuing public investments into a fully integrated transport network (land, air and sea). b. Establishment of a new international quality standard airport in Zamboanga City to increase absorptive capacity of the region. c. Explore and develop renewable energy sources, upgrade of present distribution lines and full energization of remaining unserved barangays. d. Expanding level I and II water supply systems in the rural areas with greater private sector participation in the rehabilitation and expansion of water supply systems in the urban areas. e. Bigger funding for the construction of more flood control, drainage, sewerage, and shore protection projects in all flood prone areas of Region IX. 3 C. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AGENDA Poverty incidence among families continue to decline indicating that the growth in the economy benefited, albeit slowly, the lower income groups. Food-poor households decreased by 4 percentage points over the last three years. While still lower than the national average, simple and functional literacy rates continue to go up. The number of teachers in both the elementary and secondary levels has increased, placing the region well within the government standard of one teacher per 40 students. Most provinces and cities recorded above 50.0 percent survival and completion rates. There are 49 HEIs and six SUCs with seven satellite campuses in the region. As to health, the prevalence of malnutrition among pre-school and school aged children is going down. Life expectancy is rising, maternal and infant mortality rates are decelerating. The number of health units and manpower is rising in step with population growth. Most LGUs have poverty reduction initiatives already being implemented. While there are modest gains already attained, the region remains focused in pursuing human development concerns keeping in pace with the demands and pressure of economic development. The decelerating population growth rate augurs well for the region as it will afford the region with sufficient elbow room to provide better health services, quality education, and substantive poverty reduction programs for its population. The priorities are: 1. Strengthening institutions and sustaining provision of safety nets for the poor. 2. Fast-tracking the delivery of education services. 3. Improving the quality of basic education and the relevance of higher education; 4. Sufficient health care financing, and improving access and availability of low cost medicines; 5. Provision of shelter interventions. Critical to achieving agri-industrialization is keeping a manageable population up at par with the demands of the industry and competition in the global market. The region should embark more vigorously on the following interventions: a. Fast-track localization of poverty reduction efforts and