SENATOR Juan Edgardo Angara is urging the government to allocate more funds in the rural areas for infrastructure and job generation projects to boost country's economic growth.
"Government should spend more to develop our rural areas to unlock their potential in contributing to the national economy," Angara, chairperson of Senate ways and means committee, said Wednesday.
Citing the recent study of Philippine Institute for Development Studies titled "Child Poverty in the Philippines," Angara said the poverty in the country is largely a rural phenomenon, with three out of four children from poor families are living in rural areas.
Angara insisted that instead of focusing in urban areas, the government should prioritize the rural areas, which he believed would contribute to country's economic growth.
"Government spending is largely focused in urban areas despite the fact that extreme poverty in the country occurs in less developed provinces," Angara said.
In Luzon, 63 percent or P579 billion of the total P915 billion propsed budget were allocated, excluding the allocation for the central offices.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region gets 31 percent or its share of P284 billion, bigger compared to Visayas' P143 billion (16 percent) Mindanao's P193 billion (21 percent).
He stressed the government should boost the country's agricultural sector to attract more investors by allocating some funds for farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities, and large slaughterhouses.
"We should help the rural areas attract more investors and boost their tourism drive by providing infrastructure and job generation projects," Angara said.
"If we help our poor provinces rise from poverty, it would definitely result to a growing and lasting impact on the economic growth of the entire country," he added. (Sunnex)//
Angara seeks infra, job generation projects to develop rural areas
