THE secretaries of Agriculture and Education have been made members of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said.
Their membership ensures that the administration’s priorities “with respect to agriculture and food security, as well as education and the development of skills for a competitive economy, are properly attended to,” Mr. Balisacan told reporters at the Palace on Wednesday.
He said the proposed Philippine Civil Service Modernization Project — an “important project for the development of human resource management processes in the public sector” — was also discussed during Wednesday’s NEDA Board meeting.
The Board also approved a request to increase the project cost of the Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project and also extend the corresponding implementation period and loan validity of the project.
It seeks to “strengthen the resilience of the transport network in Metro Manila by replacing two major bridges, Lambingan Bridge and Guadalupe Bridge, on the arterial roadways with the improved seismic bridge design specifications,” according to a website post by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which funds the project.
The Department of Public Works and Highways in April said the seismic improvement project will ultimately help decongest Metro Manila roads.
The Board also tackled the proposed upgrade and expansion of both the Bohol International Airport and Northern Mindanao’s Laguindingan International Airport, Mr. Balisacan said.
“We also reported on the progress in the implementation of the 186 infrastructure flagship projects,” he said, citing an earlier NEDA statement that 45 projects funded through foreign loans or grants were classified as problematic.
Meanwhile, Mr. Balisacan said NEDA was determining the process for undertaking the review of rice tariffs every four months. Rice import tariffs were cut to 15% following the issuance of Executive Order No. 62, but are subject to periodic review.
“We are already preparing the methodologies on how to undertake that review, so we don’t necessarily waste time,” he said, adding that NEDA should be able to give the President timely updates. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
