BAGUIO CITY – While the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is known for its topography, culture and tradition, what is less familiar to everyone is how the entire region performs strongly when it comes to economy.
For 2017, the Philippine Gross Domestic Product for 2017 marked a 6.7% growth across the country while all 17 regions in the country posted positive growth, CAR economy growth is noticeably the fastest. On May 2018, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Regional Director Villafe Allibuyog, in a media forum, emphasized that the CAR is the fastest growing economy among all regions with its current 12.1% economic growth. It is also the first double digit growth for CAR since the 10.8 % growth of the region recorded in 2000.
Leading the growth is the industry sector, having contributed 52.1% with a little over 80 billion pesos, wherein 66.28 billion pesos came from manufacturing. Followed by the Service sector at 39.6 % with 60.7 billion pesos, while the Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry and Fishing (AHFF) contributed only 12.69 billion pesos or 8.3 % of the said growth.
Looking back 10 years ago, industry sectors domination in the economy of the region is already not a new thing for CAR. Data from 2008 shoes that the regional economy is largely industry fed wherein the industry sector contributed 18.78 billion pesos or 61 percent to the total gross regional domestic product of CAR. The GRDP contribution of the services sector and the agriculture, fishery and forestry sector stood at 24 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
In 2007, the vegetable industry of Benguet has the best potential to contribute to the local economic growth of the province. The major production areas are Buguias, Mankayan, Kibungan; Atok; and Kabayan., leading Benguet’s consistent increase in its vegetable production from 561,765.52 metric tons to 701,175.58.
For Apayao, in 2007, the potential for agriculture industry is steadily growing with the emergence of agri-support facilities in the province. The establishment of the Apayao Corn Post Harvest Processing Center in the Municipality of Sta. Marcela and the Food Processing Center in Sta. Filomena, Calanasan provides provided a big boost to the agricultural industry in the province. Likewise, the massive expansion of irrigation coverage to areas with high potential for agri-production has been in a solid ground providing a steady contribution to the overall provincial economic performance
On the other hand, Abra in 2005 considered agriculture, fishery, forestry sector as high potential sectors for the growth of their provincial economy. Unknown to many, Abra has the competitive edge in the production of permanent crops where the province produced the highest of production compared to other CAR provinces. Permanent crops like mango, banana, cacao and coffee if processed provide additional value thus, generating more employment and income in the province. Interestingly, the province is one of the major producers of tobacco in the northern Luzon and such products if processed will add value rather than exporting it as raw materials.
Ifugao, meanwhile, saw its economy in the late 2000s as an economy propelled by the agriculture activities. The municipal products of Ifugao are indeed agricultural in nature, reflective of the main economic activity in the area. The agriculture sector is exposed to the demands of a big market here and abroad. The LGUs identified the municipal “One-Town-One-Products” (OTOP) with Tilapia as the Provincial Ifugao OTOP product. These OTOP projects, if grouped together, will make up the basic food groups. There are the go food products of Banaue, Hingyon and Alfonso Lista such as tinawon rice, grains, particularly corn and rice, and rootcrops. There are also the grow food of Lamut, Hungduan and Hingyon such as tilapia and loach (dojo) and vegetables, the glow food of Tinoc. Interestingly, Aguinaldo and Mayoyao had enrolled banana as their OTOP while Asipulo and Lagawe, the capital town have enrolled coffee.
However, for Kalinga’s report submitted in 2005, the coverage of their crop protection program is said to be limited to rice and for interested and capable farmers. Given this situation, the province crop sector in Kalinga is generally moderately vulnerable to hazards and climate change impacts.
Looking back at the reports provided by some of Cordillera’s province, it only gets to show that agriculture plays a very essential role in the cordillera region and its peoples, and while its commendable to see the economic growth of the Cordillera giving much highlight to the contribution of the industry and service sectors, it also leads people to reflect on how the agricultural sector of the region still need to be revived and developed. In the uplands, agriculture has always been practiced by the communities residing in it, however their practice of agriculture is always exposed to several threats due to several proposed creation of infrastructures rooted to the aspiration for development.
Blessed with rich and vast natural resources, Cordillera’s land, waters and mineral deposits continue to sustain the life of its people. These resources likewise contribute and continue to do so in no small measure to the growth of the national economy. At times, though, these resources have been exploited in disregard of the rights of its people and the environment, thus why economy and the lives of the people should bloom at the same time without leaving one behind.
The goal of every economic growth is to trickle down its developments in terms of figures or numbers to actual improvement and the betterment of the lives of the people. While there are numerous improvements in the economy of the region, while there are recent developments in the service and industry sectors of the region, the region’s development should not leave behind the primary economic activity of many of its people—the Agriculture. Thus, the economic growth that the Cordillerans need is a growth that will always acknowledge the welfare of its people.
For the past 10 years, the region has not only made baby steps towards regional development, but rather made huge leaps towards the continuous bloom of the region’s economy. With the continuous support of each cordilleran to its region’s cultures, traditions, and development programs, it is highly doubtful that the region’s continuous economic growth will not be sustained. JAPHETH TOBIAS
