Bohol has posted the biggest decline in poverty incidence between 2009 and 2012, according to a report by Efren Carreon, OIC-Regional Director for National Economic Development Authority (NEDA-7), during Wednesday's Bohol Provincial Workshop aimed at updating the Central Visayas Regional Development Plan (RDP). Carreon said that Bohol's poverty incidence had significantly decreased by 6.1% from 2009-2012, according to the data gathered by NEDA, as compared to that representing the years 2006-2009, which only had a 2.4% decrease. All provinces in Central Visayas, except Negros Oriental, posted a declining poverty incidence in the same years, which has reached 3.4%, Carreon said. This, Carreon significantly added, despite Bohol having had the second highest poverty incidence in the region last year, placing second after Negros Oriental, with 32.5% and 45.3%, respectively."

On his opening message at the workshop, Gov. Edgar M. Chatto acknowledged the help extended to Bohol by NEDA-7 and the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the province's various programs and projects. Chatto, together with Provincial Administrator Alfonso Damalerio II, have thanked national line agencies, Provincial Government department heads, local chief executives and the private sector for actively participating in programs aimed at making Bohol and the whole Region 7 more developed and globally competitive. Carreon pointed out that there are two major goals that the region is aiming for: one, to attain not only high economic growth but sustaining the high growth for many years; and second, to make the growth inclusive such that everybody participates in the growth process and benefits from such growth in terms of higher incomes, and a more educated and healthier population.

The economic growth of the region in the first two years of plan implementation, that is, 2011 and 2012, respectively, surpassed the Central Visayas Regional Development Plan (RDP) targets for said period. Although the region's economic growth in both years was fuelled primarily by robust expansions in the industry and services sectors, the agriculture sector also grew faster than expected in 2011. However, unlike industry and services, the agriculture sector failed to sustain its growth momentum and posted a contraction in gross output last year. Carreon explained that the magnitude of the region's growth rates is better appreciated when "we benchmark ourselves with the other regions in the country." In 2011 and 2012, Carreon said that the RDC reported to NEDA that the region had the 3rd fastest growing economy in the country. At 6.8%, it was almost double the growth rate of the Philippines in 2011 at 3.6 %. Its rate in 2012 of 9.3% was also way above the Philippine's rate of 6.8 percent.

In terms of the growth in Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP), NEDA gathered that Central Visayas is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. In its latest estimates, the GRDP showed that in 2010, Region 7 posted the highest growth at 12.5 percent. In 2011, the growth rate of the Central Visayas' GRDP at 6.8 percent was the third highest, next to CARAGA's 8.5 percent growth and Central Luzon's 7.1 percent growth. In 2012, Central Visayas' GRDP growth rate was third highest again, next to Zamboanga Peninsula's 12.4 percent growth and CARAGA's 10.6 percent growth. However, the GRDP of Central Visayas at constant 2000 prices is 190 percent more or almost 3 times higher than the combined GRDP of Zamboanga Peninsula and CARAGA regions. The growth of the national economy in 2010, 2011 and 2012 was much slower compared to that of the Central Visayas economy. In 2010, the Philippine economy grew only by 7.6 per cent. In 2011, the country realized a much slower growth at 3.6 percent, but managed a 6.8 percent growth in 2012. In terms of share to total GRDP pie, Central Visayas had the fourth largest share.

Central Visayas also ranks third as the top contributor to the country's economic growth, being a significant contributor to the growth of construction, trade, real estate and other services. Taking all these into account, NEDA-7 facilitated the workshop focusing on more important and immediate concerns of Bohol as both a learning destination and a fast-rising tourism haven taking into account the competitive industry and services sector, agriculture and fisheries, the enhancement of the quality, adequacy and accessibility of infrastructure facilities and services, easy access to financial services and micro, small and medium (MSMEs), good governance and rule of law, social development, peace and security, and the conservation, protection and rehabilitation of our natural resources by improving the quality of our environment and by enhancing the resilience of our natural systems and improving the adaptive capacities of our communities. "A successful region is composed of individually successful provinces," Carreon pointed out to participants. On this regard, and knowing full well that all significant issues and problems are being addressed in Bohol's updated development framework, Chatto is confident that Bohol would be able to surpass its targets in improving its status as an international learning and travel destination. (Janet Villarojo)