A regional development plan (RDP) that aims to make Metro Manila a globally competitive area in terms of urban planning and infrastructure is now in the works.
The RDP is in line with the Metro Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) Greenprint 2030, a 20-year development plan, and the National Economic and Development Authority’s (NEDA) Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022.
According to a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the RDP will be anchored on Greenprint 2030—the objective of which is to transform Metro Manila into a “world-class region” through the cooperation of 17 local government units in the National Capital Region (NCR). Partnering with local government units is integral to the fulfillment of these development plans, NEDA stressed.
MMDA chairman Danilo Lim highlighted the importance of the PDP, especially when it comes to “addressing traffic congestion” in the Metro, where extreme traffic jams are a common occurrence.
“It is only timely that we are discussing the PDP—of which, infrastructure development is a key part—as this is the best solution to the heavy traffic that we are experiencing in Metro Manila,” Lim said in the report.
An initial draft of NCR’s sectoral assessment, which is vital to the crafting of the RDP, has already been completed by MMDA’s metropolitan planning division. Bilateral consultations with different sectors are now ongoing to gather suggestions on how best to develop the country’s capital, as guided by the PDP.
According to NEDA, out of the present administration’s 75 pending infrastructure projects, 35 are in Mega Manila. So far, six out of 35 projects have been approved, including the LRT Line 1 North Extension Project, which is seen to accommodate “up to 1.28 million passengers a day.”