1st Infantry Division hosts RDC-IX reorganizational meeting

By Franklin P. Gumapon

LABANGAN, Zamboanga del Sur – Members of the Regional Development Council (RDC)-IX have converged at the A-210 Hall of the 1^st Infantry Tabak Division in Barangay Pulacan in this municipality for a reorganizational meeting yesterday.

Acting RDC-IX chair Teresita Socorro C. Ramos, Regional Director, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)-IX, was humbled to see how the 1^st Infantry Tabak Division headed by BGen. Felicito Virgilio M Trinidad Jr. prepared for the occasion.

With the 1^st Infantry Tabak Division hosting the reorganization meeting of RDC-IX, Ramos profusely expressed her gratitude to BGen. Trinidad for “the very nice setup” in which the members were each provided with microphones and monitors to facilitate discussion and presentation of the conference agenda.

Attending the meeting were the regional directors and representatives of the different line agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Education (DepED), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Social Welfare and Development, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA), National Youth Commission (NYC), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Land transportation Office (LTO), National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) and Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

Provincial governors Roberto Y. Uy of Zamboanga del Norte, Antonio Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur and Wilter Y. Palma of Zamboanga Sibugay together with city mayors Evelyn T. Uy of Dipolog, Romeo Pulmones of Pagadian City and Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar of Zamboanga City were also present in the said meeting.

Other RDC members who came and attended the meeting were Ipil town mayor Eldwin M. Alibutdan, Liloy town mayor Felixberto Bolando, President, League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)-Zamboanga del Norte, and 11 Private Sector Representatives (PSRs).

BGen. Trinidad gave a briefing on the peace and order situation of his area of responsibility (AOR) which covers regions 9, 10 and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with seven provinces, 13 cities and 141 municipalities. He said his AOR is now confronted with three major threats, namely, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), CPP-NPA-NDF (CNN) and lawless elements that are engaged in sea piracy, extortion, kidnapping and other criminal activities.

On the other hand, NSCB-IX regional head Dr. Mewchun W.S. Pamaran, also presented the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of Zamboanga Peninsula for calendar year 2012, saying the region posted more than 12 percentage growth – the fastest growth among the 17 regions in the country. Statistics also showed that the upsurge in Zamboanga Peninsula’s economy was observed in manufacturing and construction. However, the overall rank of the region in terms of its share to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012 was only number 11. (PIA-9)