DAVAO CITY (PIA) - Projects intended to increase incomes of agricultural communities, build more classrooms, and improve road networks were among those approved during the first National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board meeting of the Aquino government. Among the approved projects include the Regional Infrastructure for Growth Project (RGIP), Road Upgrading and Preservation Project (RUPP), School Building Project for Basic Education (SBP4BE), Malitubog-Maridagao Irrigation Project (MMIP), and the Agrarian Reform Communities Development Support Program (ARCDSP). The NEDA Board also approved the financing of the air navigation facilities for the ongoing Laguindingan Airport Development Project, as well as the change in scope, cost increase and supplemental loan of the Northrail-Southrail Linkage Project (NSLP) Phase I. The RGIP, costing $100 million (approximately P4.7 billion) will provide local government units (LGUs) access to credits for infrastructure to improve the investment environment of LGUs. Funded by the World Bank (WB) and to be implemented by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the RGIP will finance ''off-the-shelf'' and ''shovel-ready'' projects such as roads, hospitals, and water supply and sanitation, among others. The P34.16 billion RUPP will enhance the efforts of the Philippine government to improve and preserve national roads. The project will be implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) across the Philippines, targeting various provinces such as Davao, Agusan del Norte, and Nueva Ecija, among others. The SBP4BE, to be implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd), will help build 680 classrooms in 170 schools in Central Luzon and Calabarzon. The P960 million project will be supported by a P800 million grant from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) as well as Philippine government funds. SBP4BE will employ the Principal-Led School Building Program approach, making the recipient schools as the implementing units of the project under the supervision of their respective School Division Superintendents. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded MMIP II aims to develop irrigation and agricultural facilities in North Cotabato and Maguindanao, targeting 20,866 households in the said areas. Additionally, the P7-billion MMIP II of the Department of Agriculture (DA) will also support seed production farms and post-harvest facilities, and potable water supply facilities, among others. The ARCDSP, a project led by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), aims to increase household incomes of 35 Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) in Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental, Saranggani, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur.
The P2.5-billion program to be financed by the Italian government will have four components - agricultural and enterprise development, local capacity building and strengthening, community infrastructure development support, and project management. The NEDA Board also approved the financing of the P755.24 million air navigation facilities of the Department of Transportation and Communication's Laguindingan Airport Development Project. The Korean Export-Import Bank (KEXIM) will finance P629 million of the cost of the navigation facility, while the government will fund P126.24 million. The change in scope of NSLP 1 includes procuring level crossing devices, clips and insulators, and increasing quantities of work items. The revised project cost stands at P4.16 billion, from P4.05 billion. The project will be sourced mainly from the Korean Government's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and the KEXIM. The NSLP 1 aims to upgrade the South Manila Commuter Rail Project, with Phase 1 covering the line from Caloocan to Alabang.
