Development Council Sets for New Chairman

The Regional Development Council (RDC-7) in Central Visayas Region will soon have a new chairperson and co-chairperson who will look after the economic development projects for the next three years.

This as the council in Region VII held its reorganizational meeting last September 26, at Montebello Hotel, Cebu City during its full council meeting together with their respective city and town planning officers.

All governors and city mayors including the mayor of capital municipality of each province were nominated by their colleagues for the position of RDC chairperson.

Outgoing RDC chairman and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said that recent and pending projects started during his leadership should be respected by whoever sits as the new chairperson of RDC.

The council usually goes through an election process in selecting the new RDC chairperson and sends the top two nominees for the president’s choice on whom to appoint for the position.

Also, the whole council passed a mass motion for the conferment of new Private Sector Representatives (PSRs) as members of the council for the next three years. PSRs’ prospective role is the updating and implementing of the Regional Development Plan and growth efforts of the region. This was followed by the selection of sectoral committee chairpersons and co-chairpersons.

Committees include development administration, economic development, social development, infrastructure development, regional project monitoring, regional land use and a sub-committee on power.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) 7 Regional Director Efren Carreon reported before the council that Central Visayas posted an economic growth of 0.3 percent in 2012, making it the third fastest in the country. This was based on the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP).

Meanwhile,NEDA also formally launched a guidebook on funding facilities for LGUs. Each government unit was provided a copy to aid them in funding allocation for projects. (Gessa Gunhuran, PIO Staff)