RDC-7 Holds Full Council Meeting, Approves Various Resolutions and Plans

The full council meeting of the Regional Development Council (RDC) of Central Visayas Region took place on December 7 at the Ceremonial Hall, Provincial Capitol, Tagbilaran City.

The meeting was chaired by Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, the RDC-7 Chairman for the fourth quarter of this year.

Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Cajes Yap welcomed the attendees of the meeting.
Aumentado expressed his gratitude to the whole RDC for its vital role in keeping the region’s economy on track under the supervision of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Director Ron Mateo of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) showed his support for the Localization of Magna Carta of the Poor, saying that poverty reduction is not only a vision but, a shared duty.

On the other hand, advocate John Titus Vistal of Bohol-PPDC reported briefly on Aumentado’s participation at the Local Climate Action Summit for the Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai.

The highlight of Vistal’s speech was the acknowledgement of Bohol Island as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

The meeting also discussed the approved Central Visayas-Regional Development Plans (CV-RDP) for 2023-2028.

The first recommendation that was presented and approved was from Argeo Melisimo, Chairman of the Development Administration Committee (DAC), which was to allocate the funds for the TRIP and ROLL IT 2.0 Let’s Eat Program to the Department of Public Works and Highways for construction and rehabilitation based on the plan of the Department of Tourism and Department of Trade and Industry.

The RDC also approved another proposal by Melisimo, which was “Volunteerism as a Development Strategy in Central Visayas.”
In addition, Melanie Ng, chairperson of the Economic Development Committee (EDC), moved for seven resolutions.

The first one was to endorse the Agrarian Bridge for the Bagong Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka (PBBM) Bridges Program in the RDIP 2023-2028 to the NEDA Board Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) and push as PBBM Bridges to the Central Visayas Regional Development Investment Program (CV-RDIP).

This program has 350 modular steel bridges for 78 provinces with a budget of P28.24 billion. Bohol has 12 steel bridges, while Cebu and Negros Oriental have five each.

The second one was to back the DENR Senate Budget Deliberation Statement tracking all reclamation projects nationwide, while the third one was to adopt the PalengQR Ph plus program by local government units.

The fourth one was to allow e-ticketing and Cashless Transactions in the ports of Central Visayas, while the fifth one was to implement prohibited activities in protected areas.
The sixth one was to support the Digital Cadastral Database (DCDB)-Cleansing and Rapid Land Tenure Appraisal (RLTA).

The seventh one was to add the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA) as part of the Economic Development Committee.
Ng also recommended that Cebu, six LGUs in the Central Visayas District and the city of Tagbilaran be recognized for their outstanding performance.

The RDC approved the seven resolutions after a short discussion.
Furthermore, three motions pushed by the Infrastructure committee through RD Jennifer Bretaña of NEDA were also approved, which were: establishment of the Department of Water Resources and Water Regulatory Commission; seeking other funds for the Panglao-Tagbilaran City Offshore Bridge Connector Project through Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) funds; and creation of the Regional ICT Roadmap for the year 2024-2028.

The SDC chairperson, Profetiza Lim, also talked about the five social developments that she pushed, such as the Localization of the Magna Carta of the Poor; strengthening of Local School Boards, Housing Projects in Cebu, and placement of plantilla positions for GAD and others.