CLEEP: Main agenda of RDC 6 Executive Committee meeting
The Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) is the main agenda during the Regional Development Council 6 Expanded Executive Committee Meeting on January 30, 2009 held at NEDA Building, Iloilo City.
CLEEP is the government’s response to mitigate and minimize the adverse impact of the global crisis on our economy. The objective of the program is to hire for employment and to fund and supervise livelihood projects for the vulnerable sectors. CLEEP Steward for Panay and Guimaras is DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzales Sr., also the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development (CORD) for Region 6 while DOF Secretary Margarito Teves is the Program Steward for Negros Island.
In her message, RDC 6 Chair and Antique Governor Salvacion Perez emphasized that Western Visayas is not as hard hit as other regions. However, she emphasized that the crisis will result in a general slowdown in our economy.
NEDA OIC-Regional Director Ro-Ann Bacal provided the context on the global economic crisis and the Philippine economy. She also discussed the framework of the Economic Resiliency Plan and the highlight of CLEEP. She traced the root cause of the global crisis on the US housing bubble of 2004-2006 with banks carelessly engaging in housing loans which resulted to bankruptcy thus causing domino effects to other countries.
So far, the effect in Region 6 resulted to shutdown of two (2) distributor enterprises, a reported lay-off of 321 workers according to the Department of Labor and Employment, Region 6. Similarly, the Overseas Workers Employment Administration (OWWA) reported that 16 overseas Filipino workers came home due to retrenchment.
Bacal also discussed the framework of the Economic Resiliency Plan (ERP) with objectives of ensuring sustainable growth and attaining the higher end of the growth targets, saving as many jobs as possible and protecting the most vulnerable sectors such as the poorest of the poor, returning OFWs and workers in the export industries. Other objectives of the ERP are to ensure low and stable prices to support consumer spending and to enhance competitiveness in preparation for the global economic rebound.