Economic, rehab programs highlight Boracay meeting
BORACAY, Aklan — An update on the government’s economic resiliency plan and the rehabilitation being implemented in areas devastated by the recent calamities are the main agenda of the Cabinet meeting today at the Shangri-la Hotel here.
Secretary Ricardo Saludo, executive director of the Philippine Private Public Reconstruction Commission (PPPCC), will brief President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and members of the Cabinet on the ongoing rehabilitation projects, notably in Metro Manila and Northern Luzon, which suffered the most from typhoons Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma).
President Arroyo had formed the commission as a clearing house for all international assistance. The commission is mandated to study the causes of the weather abnormalities, what actions to take to prepare the country, and the cost such actions will entail.
The reconstruction efforts of the PPPCC will not only rebuild infrastructures but will also include disaster risk reduction measures. One of the first projects of the commission is the reforestation of the Marikina watershed.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is also set to discuss the latest development in the Global Recession Impact News (GRIN).
NEDA earlier recommended that the government anticipate “more freak climate episodes,” reserve funds for disaster prevention, relief and rehabilitation; clean up affected areas, dredge rivers and improve waste management; deploy flood-and drought-resistant rice strains, and ensure that families do not return to hazardous areas.
Also part of tomorrow’s agenda is the report of Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Chief Secretary Hermogenes Esperon on the status of the presidential projects indicated in her state of the nation address (SONA) last July, specifically on matters on education, economy and the environment (3Es). (PNA)
