By Floreño G. Solmirano
LEGAZPI CITY, (PNA) -– Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda was reelected chairperson of the Regional Development Council (RDC) of Bicol for a third term during the full council meeting Friday morning at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) conference room in Barangay Rawis, this city.
Salceda represents the government sector.
Jose Medina Jr. and Benigno Elevado, civil society sector representatives, were elected co-chairs.
The Albay governor and the other RDC officials will serve for a period of three years.
As RDC chair, Salceda has 11 duties, among which are: to preside over the meetings of the RDC and its executive and advisory committees; to supervise the monitoring of the implementation of major inter-provincial and region-wide development programs, projects and activities; when called upon, to represent the region in Cabinet meetings and other activities at the national level; to direct the formulation of a comprehensive regional development plan and preparation of a system of investment programming priorities for the region; and perform other functions and duties as may be directed by the President.
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 the forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with national development activities.
The RDC was established to provide a regional body to oversee the overall socio-economic development of the region, whose primary task is to coordinate development planning and policy making in the region.
The members of the RDC in Bicol are the six governors, seven city mayors, two capital town mayors, six presidents of the provincial leagues of mayors and 23 regional directors of national government agencies.
RDC has also private sector representatives that comprise a total of 15 PSRs: 12 geographical representatives (two per province), two to represent the basic sector an one to represent the labor sector.