Regions

As a result of the election of President Rodrigo Duterte in mid-2016, decentralisation and rural development have been put in the spotlight for the national agenda. Prospective investors, government planners and citizens are increasingly encouraged to look at provincial sites as destinations for investment, development and migration. The three fastest-growing regions outside of Metro Manila in 2015 were Bicol, Western Visayas and Calabarzon. Decentralisation, however, remains a slow-moving process, as the dominance of Metro Manila as the country’s economic, political and cultural nucleus has only grown stronger over the years, having been the leading magnet for investors, factories and migrants, often at the expense of previously more buoyant regions further afield.

This chapter contains interviews with Hermilando Mandanas, Governor, Province of Batangas; Alfredo Marañon Jr, Governor, Province of Negros Occidental; and Antonio Rafael del Rosario, Governor, Province of Davao del Norte.