CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Central Luzon’s Regional Development Council (RDC) has passed a resolution favorably endorsing the proposed P7.973 billion budget being sought by 12 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in Central Luzon.
William Beltran, regional director of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) said the proposed budget covered the P106.7 million for the Aurora State College of Technology, P142.2 million for the Bulacan Agricultural State College, P473.6 million for Bataan Peninsula State University, P548 million for the Bulacan State University, P657.6 million for the Central Luzon State University, and P451.1 million for the Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University.
Beltran said that the P7.973 billion also included P348.8 million for the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, P386.4 million for the Pampanga State Agricultural University (formerly Pampanga Agricultural College), P221 million for the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy, P256 million for the Ramon Magsaysay Technological University, P279.1 million for the Tarlac College of Agricultureand P410.3 million for the and Tarlac State University.
“The review and endorsement to the national government of the annual budgets of these SUCs as well as agency regional offi ces and special development authorities is pursuant to Section 4.d of Executive Order 325 of former President Fidel Ramos,” RDC Presiding Officer and National Economic and Development Authority Regional Director Severino Santos said.
He explained that such review was “to ensure transparency as well as consistency of the utilization of funds to the development goals of Central Luzon in general as stated in the Regional Development Plan and the seven provinces within the region namely Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales in particular.”
Santos said the development goals include “building globally competitive, progressive and resilient citizenry; minimizing natural disaster casualties and economic losses; promoting sustainable land use activities; ensuring food security; reducing extreme poverty; and maintaining conflict-free and safe communities.”
The RDC is the highest policy-making body in Central Luzon and serves as the counterpart of the NEDA Board at the subnational level, Beltran said.
“It is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region and serves as a forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with national development activities,” he added Beltran said the RDC members include all governors, city mayors, municipal mayors of capital towns, presidents of municipal mayors’ league, regional directors of national government agencies and representatives from the private sector.
