TACLOBAN CITY – A bill has been filed in the House of Representatives seeking to institutionalize the position of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions Officer (LEDIPO) across all local government units (LGUs) in the country to ensure sustained and strategic economic planning.
House Bill 602, filed by Northern Samar 2nd District Representative Edwin Ongchuan, aims to amend Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, to mandate the permanent establishment of LEDIPO positions in provincial, city, and first- and second-class municipalities. For third- to sixth-class municipalities, the appointment of a LEDIPO would remain optional.
“By making the LEDIPO position permanent, we aim to institutionalize a robust framework for economic growth that can withstand administrative turnovers,” Ongchuan said, adding that this is crucial especially as LGUs work to recover and strengthen their local economies in the wake of global disruptions.
Ongchuan noted that the LEDIPO role was first recommended in a 2010 Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) memorandum, which sought to foster a more business-friendly environment to attract both local and foreign investments.
He also pointed out that the lack of permanence in current LEDIPO appointments has led to inconsistent policies and economic programs, often disrupted by changes in local leadership.
“This bill is designed to provide continuity and stability, preventing the disruption of economic initiatives and ensuring sustained development across local sectors,” he added.
If passed into law, the LEDIPO will be tasked with formulating local investment codes, facilitating economic development projects, and promoting their respective LGUs as prime investment destinations.
The measure also aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 18, s. 2023, which created “Green Lanes” for strategic investments. Ongchuan believes the bill will support the EO’s goals by making local economic landscapes more competitive and investor-friendly.
Ongchuan expressed hope that the bill will soon move forward to the deliberation stage in Congress, with expectations for swift approval to help build economic resilience and drive sustainable development in the country’s diverse localities.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Flaws to hunger
People wonder why we are lacking in rice supply despite sound statistical figures showing an increase in rice production. One factor being considered for this national malady is the depletion of arable lands that are now being converted to other uses. There are vast hectares of rice fields being converted to commercial, industrial and residential uses, not to mention sports and recreation. We certainly are not wanting in sports and recreation suited to our needs. There are lots of sports we can indulge in that are not beyond our means to enjoy. Unfortunately, the elite and powerful in our society are lured to expensive sports that is played by the rich and famous people in other countries.
A different view looks at the growing population as cause for the inadequacy of rice. But every man given the capability to be productive even just to answer for his daily needs. No matter the population as long as it is made productive to produce its basic needs, hunger would not be a problem. It is when the greater number remains unproductive and dependent on a small sector of working and productive.
But how can we expect the population to become a productive workforce when it is confined in fixated social inequities that kills the motivation and vigor to produce goods, particularly through farming. We have seen the cruel inequities that our farmers are made as unwilling victims of. The man who toils to produce food is never given the opportunity to rise above the muddy soil. They fall victims to unjust wages that could not even meet the basic needs of the family. These sector of the population who labor for the food that the entire population consume are luckless in getting government support, that is why they fall victims to usurious loans from capitalists who rake in the greater earnings.
The situation is truly discouraging and government is continually missing to address the problem. Its recent realization about the lack of farmlands for food production ought to have been discovered long ago. While it takes what it may deem as appropriate steps to increase farm areas, partly by halting the counterproductive conversion of agricultural lands to other uses.
But while we may increase land areas for farmlands in due time, we may run out of farmhands that will work to produce food that the population needs. We had long been engaged in labor exportation and our young working population being lured into high-paying foreign jobs in the fields of technology, construction, nursing and medicine.
The exodus of our skilled and industrious workforce will surely cause a lack of people who will till the soil. The low and unjust wages and the exploited situation that our farmers suffer from is a great push that drives our people away from the bondage of the soil. Even with adequate farmlands, we may not have enough farmhands to produce the food that we need in order to live.
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