Regional development councils (RDCs) are supporting an executive order (EO) that would grant them broader authority in their economic development mission.
RDCs function as the subnational counterparts to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board. They coordinate and set the direction for all economic and social development efforts within their regions. They also serve as a forum to harmonize and integrate local efforts with regional and national development activities.
RDC chairpersons and NEDA officials met with President Marcos on April 30, 2024 to discuss various regional development initiatives aligned with the strategies outlined in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 and Regional Development Plans (RDPs).
“The president’s emphasis on RDCs has motivated our chairpersons to actively lead the numerous regional development efforts across the country,” said NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. “RDCs play a critical role in steering socioeconomic development at the regional and local levels by bridging the gap between national agencies and local government units.”
NEDA presented a proposal for an EO that aims to strengthen the RDCs’ role in formulating regional development plans and investment programs, reviewing agency budgets, monitoring project implementation, and addressing bottlenecks.
The proposed amendments aim to build upon the foundation laid by EO 325 (1996) by addressing perceived RDC weaknesses.
These weaknesses include limited presence in LGUs, restricted influence over funding for priority regional programs and projects, and a lack of budget to support RDC operations, including monitoring and capacity-building activities.
“These amendments would give RDCs the mandate to identify priority inter-LGU and special development projects and further pursue capacity-building activities at the local level,” Balisacan said.
Balisacan said the EO’s passage would complement NEDA’s ongoing regional development efforts.
These initiatives include Regional-National Investment Programming (RNIP) dialogues, capacity-building activities for monitoring and evaluation, studies to effectively implement full devolution, and the approval of game-changing infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) and public-private partnership (PPP) projects.
These efforts align with the Marcos administration’s goal of achieving inclusivity, as articulated in the PDP 2023-2028 and the RDPs 2023-2028.
RDC chairpersons also presented their proposed priority programs and projects for inclusion in the 2025 and 2026 budgets of the relevant implementing agencies.
“With an even brighter economic future on our country’s horizon, it’s indeed time to strengthen the mandate of our RDCs to make them more effective in serving as the highest policymaking and coordinating bodies in our regions,” Balisacan said. “They will also play a crucial role as we approach the operationalization of the full devolution process.”