The USAID-SURGE initiative promotes secondary cities in the Philippines as hubs for economic growth through improved urban planning and resilience, local economic development, investment promotion and expanded rural-urban linkages via enhanced market access and infrastructure connectivity.
WSP has worked with USAID to achieve many goals in pursuit of this growth, including: linking more than 200 small-holder growers in Zamboanga City to major food firm San Miguel Corporation for a more stable and lucrative cassava market; organizing seaweed producers, buyers and technology providers in Palawan Province into a province-wide stakeholders’ network to promote a more competitive seaweed industry; and advising the cities of Tagbilaran and Puerto Princesa on formulating tourism development plans to promote more visitor arrivals and tourism-related investments.
