Regional Development Policies in the Philippines

Is Manila too big for the Philippines? Should the government encourage the development of other areas to relieve the burden on the capital region? This chapter examines the efforts of successive Philippine governments to implement a policy of regional planning for a more balanced development of the country. Integrated development schemes, for example in the Bicol River basin, have given way to a policy in favor of special economic zones and growth centers away from Metro Manila. Among them, the Subic and Clark areas, long known as gigantic American military facilities, are now the focus of an effort to create better business and living environments. Cebu, the Philippines' second city, is also a recent focus of international development. Future trends are examined with the proposal of the BIMP-EAGA international region in collaboration with Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia, while there are also calls for a major reversal of the nation's political and spatial organization through federalism to end the domination of ``Imperial Manila''.