The Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Committee of the Cordillera (BP2-CAR), chaired by Agriculture Secretary William Dar, is set to meet virtually on Wednesday, April 28, to approve its Regional Action Plan and Communication Plan that will provide a more focused direction in implementing the program in the Cordillera.
Engr. Maria Belinda V. Sevalla, Acting Regional Manager of the National Housing Authority (NHA) CAR and Region 1, will give updates on the implementation of the BP2 Program and the deployment of beneficiaries in the region. NHA is the BP2 Council Secretariat.
As an offshoot of the first Committee meeting in October 2020, NEDA OIC-Regional Director Stephanie F. Christiansen will be presenting the draft Regional Action Plan that contains the programs to assist the beneficiaries and for long-term development in the countryside.
The BP2 Program will be implemented through policies and programs that will boost rural development and ensure inclusive growth, provide adequate social services, and promote full employment, industrialization, and improve quality of life in rural areas.
The program will first address Metro Manila’s congested urban areas by encouraging people, especially informal settlers, to return to their home provinces; and assisting them in this transition with support and incentives on transportation, livelihood and education, among others. Institutionalized in May 2020 through Executive Order No. 114, the program responds to the Filipino’s long-term vision of a “matatag, maginhawa at panatag na buhay” or AmBisyon Natin 2040.
The Cordillera Regional Development Council serves as the counterpart body of the BP2 National Council. The NEDA Regional Office provides the technical and administrative support to the Committee and its Regional Director serves as the Committee Vice-Chair to Cordillera Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS-CAR) and Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
