Physical

• abundance of mineral, agricultural, forest and marine resources

• extensive coastline and presence of natural harbors

• site of two major geothermal plants

• traversed by pan-Philippine highway systems and national railways

• abundance of diverse tourist attractions

• proximity of Visayas and Luzon markets

• rapid telecommunications development

• indiscriminate conversion of prime agricultural lands into urban uses

• degradation of forest lands, coastal and marine resources

• inadequate support infrastructure

• high power rates

• flood, typhoon, volcanic eruptions and other natural calamities

Economic

• high growth rate of industry sector (6.59%)

• high growth rate of finance sector (9.64%)

• high potential of Bicol products in the national and international markets

• opportunities for global competitiveness through APEC, BIMP-EAGA

• increasing demand for environment friendly products and services

• decline of the region’s contribution to GNP, all sectors

• low capacity of the economy to absorb the expanding labor force

• high unemployment and under- employment rate of men and women

• outmigration of economically active and highly educated population

Institutional

 

 

 

 

 

 

• enhanced LGU capacities under the Local Government Code

• presence of Bicol Consortium for Agricultural Resources Research and Development

• presence of PCA Albay Research Center

• strong intersectoral acceptance of the Social Reform Agenda

• strong interagency support to organize the statistical system in Bicol

• active NGOs including women’s organization

• presence of specialized training centers for agriculture, fisheries and management in SCUs

   

• weak law enforcement

• insufficient financial resources of LGUs

• little attention given to R and D

• poor access to market information

• decrease in the region’s share of the national infrastructure budget

• The insufficiency of  sources of funding for the identified programs and projects, which has resulted into a thinly spread project mix, with a very narrow scope and a very long gestation period;

• The ineffectiveness of the interventions formulated, borne out of non-complementation for lack of a clear sectoral and administrative framework for inclusion and prioritization; and

• The institutional weaknesses, resulting in unproductive duplication and completion in undertaking development interventions.