CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – President Aquino has appointed new chairs of 15 Regional Development Councils (RDCs) nationwide in the wake of his mandate for the councils to submit to Malacanang their priority projects for consideration in the 2012 budget.
The appointees included this city’s Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, whom he had also backed to become president of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), as the new chair of Central Luzon’s RDC.
Remigio Mercado, regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), said the President had tasked RDC’s nationwide to finalize their lists of priority projects in time for his meeting with all RDC chairpersons on March 24. The costs of these projects are to be included in the budget proposal for 2012.
“The President is really sensitive to sub-national level pulse. So at the local levels, we have pushed the articulation of needs of people and these will be documented and reconciled for recommendation for budgeting,” said Mercado during a “full council meeting” of Central Luzon’s RDC here. last Friday.
The other local officials appointed as RDC chairs were Kalinga Gov. Joel Baac (Cordillera), Occidental Mindoro Gov. Josephine Sato (MIMAROPA), Albay Gov. Joey Salceda (Bicol), Capiz Gov. Victor Tanco (Western Visayas), Leyte Gov. Carlos Jericho Petilla (Eastern Visayas), Dipolog City Mayor Evelyn Uy (Zamboanga Peninsula), Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz (Northern Mindanao), Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte (Davao region) and General Santos City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio (SOCCKSARGEN).
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) head Francis Tolentino is automatically the RDC chair in Metro Manila while Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) acting governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong has been named member of the NEDA Board.
Malacañang has yet to announce the RDC chairs for Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, CALABARZON, Central Visayas and CARAGA.
The RDC is the highest policy-making body in the region and serves as the counterpart of the NEDA Board at the sub-national level. It is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region. It also serves as a forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with national development activities.
The council is composed of local chief executives, regional directors of national government agencies and representatives of the private sector.
In Central Luzon, the RDC tackled recently the formulation of the Regional Development Plan (RDP) from 2011 to 2016 identifying the “region’s priorities and direction in the next six years and the process to be observed to maximize the people’s participation.”
The RDP noted that this was in consonance with Aquino’s “social contract with the people.”
The RDP identified “priority programs, projects and policies” that listed “Minimized natural disaster casualties and economic losses” as number one.
It cited the importance of landslide and flashflood hazard and risk mapping, urgent rehabilitation and improvement of Agno River flood control project, pursuance of the Mt. Pinatubo hazard mitigation Project V, the flood control component of the Pampanga delta development program, and the Pasig-Potrero diking system, among 12 such projects named.
The RDP also identified four priority east-to-west land transport access projects, including the North rail project, the Iba-Tarlac-Sta. Rosa road, the Dinalupihan-Angeles road widening and upgrading, and the North Luzon Expressway extension project.
North-South Manila North Road and the Cagayan Valley road widening and upgrading were also named as priority concerns.
The RDP also identified “integrated land, air and sea transport modes” as priorities in Central Luzon. These include the Dingalan International Port, the Global Gateways Program under the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council, the feeder airports development in Baler, Auroa and Iba, Zambales, the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone facilities development, the Freeport area of Bataan port development program, and the conversion of the Roman highway to a toll expressway.
The appointees included this city’s Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, whom he had also backed to become president of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), as the new chair of Central Luzon’s RDC.
Remigio Mercado, regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), said the President had tasked RDC’s nationwide to finalize their lists of priority projects in time for his meeting with all RDC chairpersons on March 24. The costs of these projects are to be included in the budget proposal for 2012.
“The President is really sensitive to sub-national level pulse. So at the local levels, we have pushed the articulation of needs of people and these will be documented and reconciled for recommendation for budgeting,” said Mercado during a “full council meeting” of Central Luzon’s RDC here. last Friday.
The other local officials appointed as RDC chairs were Kalinga Gov. Joel Baac (Cordillera), Occidental Mindoro Gov. Josephine Sato (MIMAROPA), Albay Gov. Joey Salceda (Bicol), Capiz Gov. Victor Tanco (Western Visayas), Leyte Gov. Carlos Jericho Petilla (Eastern Visayas), Dipolog City Mayor Evelyn Uy (Zamboanga Peninsula), Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz (Northern Mindanao), Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte (Davao region) and General Santos City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio (SOCCKSARGEN).
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) head Francis Tolentino is automatically the RDC chair in Metro Manila while Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) acting governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong has been named member of the NEDA Board.
Malacañang has yet to announce the RDC chairs for Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, CALABARZON, Central Visayas and CARAGA.
The RDC is the highest policy-making body in the region and serves as the counterpart of the NEDA Board at the sub-national level. It is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region. It also serves as a forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with national development activities.
The council is composed of local chief executives, regional directors of national government agencies and representatives of the private sector.
In Central Luzon, the RDC tackled recently the formulation of the Regional Development Plan (RDP) from 2011 to 2016 identifying the “region’s priorities and direction in the next six years and the process to be observed to maximize the people’s participation.”
The RDP noted that this was in consonance with Aquino’s “social contract with the people.”
The RDP identified “priority programs, projects and policies” that listed “Minimized natural disaster casualties and economic losses” as number one.
It cited the importance of landslide and flashflood hazard and risk mapping, urgent rehabilitation and improvement of Agno River flood control project, pursuance of the Mt. Pinatubo hazard mitigation Project V, the flood control component of the Pampanga delta development program, and the Pasig-Potrero diking system, among 12 such projects named.
The RDP also identified four priority east-to-west land transport access projects, including the North rail project, the Iba-Tarlac-Sta. Rosa road, the Dinalupihan-Angeles road widening and upgrading, and the North Luzon Expressway extension project.
North-South Manila North Road and the Cagayan Valley road widening and upgrading were also named as priority concerns.
The RDP also identified “integrated land, air and sea transport modes” as priorities in Central Luzon. These include the Dingalan International Port, the Global Gateways Program under the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council, the feeder airports development in Baler, Auroa and Iba, Zambales, the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone facilities development, the Freeport area of Bataan port development program, and the conversion of the Roman highway to a toll expressway.
