GTZ,Provl.Govt. Ink MOA On Environment Code Implementation

Feb. 19,2010
GTZ, Provincial Govt. Ink MOA On Environment Code Implementation
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A Memorandum of Agreement(MOA) on Environment Code implementing rules and regulations was signed recently between GTZ(German Technical Cooperation in literal English) and the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte at the Kinamot Restaurant in brgy. Abgao, this city.
The GTZ was represented by Dr. Andreas Lange, Chief Advisor on Local Governance on behalf of Dr.Walter Salzer who was not around and Governor Damian Mercado on half of the provincial government of Southern Leyte.
The signing was done in the presence of Regina Kessler, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Federal Republic of Germany;Philipp Quitmann,Country Manager,GTZ head office,Eschborn,Germany;Vice-Governor Miguel MMaamo,11;and Crispin Arong,Jr.,provincial administrator of Southern Leyte.
The MOA states that GTZ shall provide technical assistance to the province of Southern Leyte, its instrumentalities and LGUs shall cover the following areas of concern: 1) Land use-based barangay development planning; 2) Municipal/City level comprehensive land use planning; 3) Provincial development and physical framework planning; 4) Community-based forest management; 5) Coastal fisheries resources management; 6) Climate change and natural disaster-related risk reduction and adaptation.
The MOA also states that decentralization program shall provide capacity development to municipalities
and the province of Southern Leyte in the area of revenue generation through the promotion of the integrated taxation management system or i-TAX and to support improving the local governance capacity of the provincial government of Southern Leyte including the formation of alliances.
Under the framework of the Private Sector Promotion, the MOA states GTZ together with its main partner the Dept. of Trade and Industry shall provide technical expertise on Local and Regional Economic Development thereby facilitating economic development of municipal LGUs.
The MOA further states that the province shall designate an office as the institutional mechanism for the coordination, implementation and management of the undertaking and ensure the following: 1)Allocate budget for the implementation of the land use based and development planning system particularly for consultation meetings and validation workshops;2)Facilitate preparation, updating and consequently adoption of the Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan of the province, Comprehensive Land-use P:lans,theComprehensive Development Plan of the municipalities, based on barangay level consultations; 3)Allocate budget for the implementation of Coastal Fisheries Resources Management and Community-based Forest Manmamgement;4)Implement measures aimed to enhance revenue generation at Provincial, Municipal and Barangay level; in particular assigning personnel to ensure maintenance and thus sustainability of the i-TAX system; 5)Facilitate promotion of LRED in the Province
It says the arrangement shall be on full force and effect on the day it is signed by both parties. It will expire at the end of the current phase of the mentioned programs, but not later than September 2012. However, it can be reviewed and modified/amended if the need arises upon agreement with the consent of both parties.
These documents, it says, will then serve as the basis by both parties in monitoring and implementing this arrangement.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)