THE drop in the poverty incidence in La Union is “one of the few bright spots in the country,” Vice President Jejomar Binay said, and vowed a better coordination with local government units to address poverty and hunger and develop job-generating industries in the province.
Binay said his administration will have better coordination with local government units in the province to accelerate tourism and develop job-generating industries in La Union in order to address poverty.
“La Union is known as the surfing capital of Northern Luzon. And in order to accelerate the tourism and business development of La Union and the Ilocos Region we will ensure better coordination with regional tourism councils and hold regular meetings,” he said.
“I am glad that the community in La Union have progressed. It only shows that if the government would focus to address poverty, it can be done,” Binay said.
Latest records from the National Statistical Coordination Board showed that poverty incidence in La Union dropped from 30.6 percent in 2012 to 18.5 percent in 2014.
The Vice President said the meetings will focus on aligning local land use and development plans with the national government’s to ensure the effective and efficient use of assets and other resources.
“We will consult tourism boards, local government officials, regional department heads, and representatives from non-governmental organizations,” he added. “We will align plans starting with the development of tourism and business sites that can integrate tourism plans from Baguio City and the Cordilleras to La Union and other Ilocos Region destinations.”
Moreover, Binay said his administration will focus on improving agriculture in the region and look into the development of international markets for the products of the Ilocos and the Cordillera regions.
“We will look into new technologies that could help make the 2,674 square kilometers of unfertile land viable for agriculture to help boost production. We will also align production to processing and marketing to ensure food security and more income for our workers,” he said.
The Vice President pledged to give La Union farmers affected by the floods caused by typhoon Lando hybrid rice seedlings to replace the crops they lost.
Meanwhile, to address hunger, the Vice President said he will ensure a better coordination of local government units and the national food agencies to secure sufficiency in food production, processing, distribution and regulation.
“To ensure proper food distribution, the Department of Social Welfare and Development will assist the Department of Agriculture, other national government food agencies, and the LGUs in targeting their beneficiaries through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction,” he said.
“We believe that an integrated approach will improve the accuracy in targeting the beneficiaries,” he added.
The Vice President said his administration will also introduce mechanisms for better fund management and supervision of anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs.
“To attain this, we will present the funds available for the region, regularly review the mandates, objectives and strategies of the DA and the other agencies connected with food security and ensure the necessary budget allocation for proper implementation,” he said.
“We will adopt a template for each LGU to attain uniformity in the dissemination and gathering of data. We will also conduct dialogues with stakeholders, identify the areas where national agencies can provide assistance, and in what segment in the food production, processing, and distribution they can assist the LGUs and other communities,” he added.