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NEDA and Provinces of Region VII,  Australian Government, and Asia Foundation Ink MoU for Road and Infrastructure Reform
 
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Region VII; Provincial Governments of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor; and the Coalitions for Change program partnership of The Asia Foundation and the Australian Government formally launched the Coordinating Roads and Infrastructure Investment for Development (CR+ID) Project with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last August 27, 2014 in Cebu City.

Officials from the various organizations inked the MOU, including EfrenCarreon, NEDA Region VII Regional Director; Ky D. Johnson, Deputy Country Representative of The Asia Foundation; Governor Edgardo Chatto of Bohol; Vice Governor Agnes A. Magpale on behalf of Governor HilarioDavide III of Cebu; Governor RoelDegamo of Negros Oriental; and Governor Zaldy Villa of Siquijor province as signatories. Also present to witness the signing were Australian Embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission, David Dutton, and Ruth Paul Cruz, NEDA Region VII’s Assistant Regional Director.

CR+ID is a successor to the Coordinating Road Investments for Development (CRID) project implemented over the last two years in five provinces: Bohol, Cebu, Guimaras, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur. CRID coordinates and rationalizes road investments through the use of Value Chain Analysis in identifying strategic road links (SRLs). SRLs are interconnected roads which are most often used in transporting goods, services, and people. CRID banks on private sector-local government partnerships with support from national agencies to mobilize resources and funding for identified priority road network vital for the local economy.

The Australian Government and The Asia Foundation jointly agreed to expand CR+ID thematically, to include not only roads but also key infrastructure with disaster risk and hazard identification, and geographically, to include all provinces in Regions VII and XIII, as well as three provinces in Region VI.

The Australian Government’s support enables The Asia Foundation to provide assistance to provincial governments to complete their road network and key infrastructure maps, identify strategic roads and infrastructure with the private sector, and conduct municipal level road investment planning workshops.

CR+ID also works to strengthen the Regional Development Council for broader participation of businesses and local governments in the realm of investment programming. NEDA Region VII highlights the importance of investment in infrastructure, especially on transportation in the updated Central Visayas Regional Development Plan for 2014-2016.

With CR+ID, NEDA VII expects better investment programming, highly capacitated institutions at the local level, and projects responsive to local development needs and regional growth drivers.
Advancing broader private sector engagement, sustained economic growth, and inclusive development, the Coalitions for Change’s CR+ID program works with provincial governments, national agencies, and the private sector to introduce and sustain reforms in road and infrastructure investments.

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