MMDA completes first draft of NCR development plan

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has completed its first draft of the Regional Development Plan (RDP) for the National Capital Region (NCR), which will be anchored on the region's roadmap for urban development until 2030.

"We have completed a first draft for NCR's sectoral assessment that will go into the RDP," MMDA Director for Metropolitan Planning Josefina J. Faulan said in an emailed statement via the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

According to the NEDA, the MMDA has committed to align its development plan for the NCR with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022, which was approved by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on February 20 this year.

"We are now conducting bilateral consultations with different sectors as we delve into crafting crucial strategies for developing the country's capital, guided by the overall Philippine Development Plan," Faulan said. She did not elaborate.

MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim cited the need for development plans to address the traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

"It is only timely that we are discussing the PDP — of which, infrastructure development is a key part — as this is the best solution to the heavy traffic that we are experiencing in Metro Manila," he said.

Under the PDP, the government intends to keep the economy growing at 7 to 8 percent in the medium-term, and the poverty rate down to 14 percent from the current 21.6 percent.

Moving forward, the government plans to spur economic growth through its massive infrastructure spending program, with an P8.4 trillion budget allocation for the next six years dubbed as the "golden age of infrastructure." —ALG, GMA News