A GUIDE TO

Provincial Comprehensive Development Plan

A. OVER-ALL VISION OF THE PLAN

Based on the vision of its predecessor, the 15-year Master Development Plan, the overall vision of the 1993-1998 Provincial Comprehensive Development Plan and the 1993 Annual Development plan is a provincewide community transformed by its people’s collective aspirations and determination, characterized by an social justice, with an integrated , highly competitive, productive and balanced agro-industrial economy, sustainable ecological development, cooperation among all sectors, improved peace and order an enhanced quality of life for all Negrenses.

B. GENERAL GOALS

The general goals of the plan are poverty alleviation; accelerated, sustainable and balance economic growth with maximum degree of self-sufficiency; ecological preservation and renewal; equity and social justice; and a strengthened development management capability.

C. DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES/TARGETS

  1. Alleviation of Poverty

    In 1985, 85% of the people in Negros Occidental were living below the poverty line (meaning, 85% of households were earning P20,000 a year or less). The early implementation of some development programs reduced this to 73% by 1988. The goal is to see marked poverty line decrease within each phase as follows:

    		
	1998 target: 35% living below poverty line		
	2002 target: 20% living below poverty line

  2. Food Self-Sufficiency

    Since Negros Occidental imports basic goods except sugar and prawns, the target is to decrease imports by producing or manufacturing basic goods in the province. The target of the plan is to decrease these imports in the following stages:

    IMPORTS
    Imports (in M.T.)199419982002
    Rice286,783364,950586,870
    Corn39,32139,32139,321
    Fish126,7272,518,6702,518,670

  3. Balanced Agro-Industrialized Economy

    Presently, 80% of the province is still dependent on agriculture, with little value added to other basic crops grown. The provincial target is to sway the balance as follows:

    Target Ratios
    Year% Agriculture% Industrial
    19858515
    19928020
    19987030
    20026040

  4. Ecological Preservation

    The irresponsible logging practices in the past have reduced our forests to 5% cover when ideally it should be 40%. The target is to gradually increase this percentage in these stages:

    Target Forest Cover
    Year% Forest CoverArea (Hectares)
    19925% of Total Land40,000
    19987% of Total Land50,000
    200210% of Total Land80,000

D. MAJOR IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES

  1. Barangay/Grassroots/Community-Based Development

    Barangays in the province shall be classified according to their individual degrees of development, from the most ideal to the most depressed in terms of access to basic services. Targets will be prioritized to address the very depressed communities first. Once their basic need and requirements are met, standards will consequently be uplifted provincewide.

  2. Decentralization and Fiscal Autonomy

    As one of the five (5) pilot provinces for decentralization, Negros Occidental received a P120 million Block Grant which allowed it to implement projects in several key areas of development without going through a complicated bureaucratic system.

  3. Land Sharing/Land Transfer

    The provincial Government encourages the voluntary transfer of farmlands, including those not covered by the CARL, for landless sugar workers to till.

  4. Livelihood Projects/Cooperatives Development

    The province will provide sufficient livelihood opportunities and cooperatives development support to impoverished families both as basic and supplemental income. These range from the distribution of livestock to rural-based families, to the development of micro-enterprises to provide opportunities for those who are dependent on seasonal employment in the agricultural sector.

  5. Access to Rural Credit

    In pilot areas of the province, banks for the poor modeled after the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh were established with CIDA assistance to give the rural population access to credit. Other micro-lending schemes have also been implemented by HOPE Volunteers Foundation and UNIDEV Foundation, among others.

E. MAJOR PROGRAMS/PROJECTS

The various developments of the Provincial and National Governments have been implementing the programs/projects identified in this development plan, such as population management (Population Office, DSWD, PHO), food self-sufficiency (OPA, DA, PACC), infrastructure development (PEO, OPA, NIA, NEA), delivery of the basic services (PHO, FFW, DSWD, DECS), environment and natural resources management (DENR), exports development and industrialization (DTI), housing and land access (NHA, DAR), access to rural credit (UNIDEV, NWTFI), cooperatives development (OPA, CDA), and tourism development (DOT).

From 1992 to 1995, the Provincial Government is focusing on the program of basic services delivery under WHEELS, acronym for Water, Health, Education, Environment, Livelihood, and Sports.

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