Bayanihan or collective action for a cause is a unique Filipino culture where every member of the community takes part in uplifting the lives of those who are in need. It is considered an instinct or call that moves the community and causes a change.

As the government continues to reach and uplift the lives of the Filipinos, the idea of Bayanihan is being embraced through the National Convergence Initiative for Sustainable Rural Development (NCI-SRD).

In CALABARZON, the Real, Infanta, and General Nakar (REINA) Quezon rural area is being targeted by the Regional Convergence Initiative Technical Working Group (RCI TWG) as a subject for a formulation of a comprehensive sustainable plan and framework ingrained in the convergence of policy, program, and project resources of government institutions.

The REINA area is composed of coastal municipalities located on the eastern Pacific seaboard. Agriculture, fishery, and tourism industry are the three major economic drivers of the area.

The major agricultural and fishery commodities of the REINA area include rice, corn, coconut, fish, and seafood. Diving and leisure fishing activities, on the other hand, boost tourism and attract local and foreign tourists.

With these potentials and as the REINA municipalities are classified as first income class with big land sizes having a large share of the internal revenue allotment, the REINA area is among the municipalities in the Quezon province with high poverty incidence.

The goal of the CALABARZON RCI TWG for the REINA area is to help the tourism, agriculture, and fishery sectors recover from the effects of COVID-19.

The Convergence Area Development Plan (CADP) of the REINA area is being seen as one of the fuels accelerating its economic recovery. The CALABARZON RCI TWG believes that through the CADP, the REINA area has the potential to have a sustained agribusiness, skilled workforce, diversified source of income, protected environment, and developed infrastructures.

The CALABARZON RCI TWG has been making efforts to execute the CADP implementation for the REINA area. Last June 8, 2022, the Department of Agriculture Region IV-CALABARZON (DA-4A) initiated the Consultation Meeting for the Creation of Provincial Convergence Initiative Technical Working Group that aims to re-orient the members of the CALABARZON RCI-SRD (DA, DAR, DENR, DILG, Quezon Provincial Government, and LGUs of REINA area) on the REINA Strategic Economic Framework Plan, concept, advantages, and guidelines of implementing the program.

It is expected that in the next coming months, the CALABARZON RCI TWG will conduct the Inter-Agency Provincial Orientation that will fast-track the developments of the plan toward the rebirth of the REINA Quezon area. ###