Salceda bares Albay's progress road map

LEGAZPI CITY, June 5 (PNA) -- Albay Gov. Joey S. Salceda has drawn up for his province a road map and economic strategy towards an efficient green energy and transport system, productive agriculture, responsive tertiary education and a state-of-the-art medical system.

Salceda said the strategy hews closely to the California, USA governance model and will focus on infrastructure development, green energy, education, medical services, tourism and climate and disaster risk reduction, among others.

The governor presented his economic strategy at a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) National Competitiveness Council (NCC) roadshow forum held here over the weekend.

Outlining his road map and strategy for Albay, Salceda said his priority infrastructures include the Daraga International Airport, the Albay-Donsol access road, rehabilitation of the Pantao Regional Port and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Southrail Line, and the setting up of the Guicadale (Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga and Legazpi City) Business Platform.

In the area of education, Salceda said his goal is for “every home in Albay to have at least one college graduate." He wants to pursue this goal through a program he calls “Albay Higher Education Contribution Scheme (AHECS),” an Australian-inspired educational program. He also wants the Bicol University modernized.

To further enhance medical services for Albay folks, Salceda said his program will work for the modernization of the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH) and universal health coverage for indigent families through the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

The Green Energy program, he explained, will involve the promotion of renewable energy through windmill power in Cagraray Island, hydropower in Rapu-Rapu Island and expansion of the Tiwi geothermal power generation from 370 megawatts to 640 megawatts

Tourism development, he said, will also give focus on eco-tourism, as well as on medical and educational tourism, aside from enhancing further the many natural and scenic tourist destinations in Albay.

Salceda said Albay will likewise further intensify its Climate Change Adaptation advocacy program and enhance its disaster risk reduction program to convince and assure investors that Albay is among the best business centers in the Bicol peninsula.

A top economic adviser of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Salceda said his vision is socially desirable, and quantitatively feasible and attainable. Its chances of realization, he added, will be further enhanced if the national economy could sustain its growth.