On July 12, 2016, the NEDA Regional Office VI, headed by RD Ro-Ann A. Bacal, conducted a briefing on the functions and mandates of NEDA and the Regional Development Council for the newly elected officials of the Iloilo Province at the Ceremonial Hall of Casa Real de Iloilo, Provincial Capitol, Iloilo City. Said briefing was attended by Governor Arthur D. Defensor, Sr. and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the mayors and vice mayors of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd congressional districts, and department heads of the Iloilo Provincial Government. Subsequent briefing for the local chief executives of the 4th and 5th Congressional Districts will be held on August 3, 2016 at the City Hall of Passi City.
“As our partners in development, NEDA’s role is critical in addressing bottlenecks to hasten infrastructure programs and deliver better public services to the people,” Governor Defensor underscored in his welcome address. The governor, a former RDC-VI Chairperson, lauded the efforts of Director Bacal for initiating the activity and encouraged NEDA to do the orientation after every election.
The overview about the organizational set-up of the NEDA Board, the NEDA, and the RDC and their relationship with the local development councils was presented by Director Bacal. This was followed by the presentation of Ma. Lourdes B. Miado on development planning, the function of the Regional Land Use Committee and the Development Administration Committee; Gilberto A. Altura on investment programming, budgeting, and project formulation as well as the function of the Regional Competitiveness Committee, the Regional Investment Promotion Committee, and the Economic Development Committee; Erlinda B. Chiu on monitoring and evaluation and the function of the Regional Project Monitoring Committee and the Infrastructure Development Committee, including updates on the Yolanda projects; and Ma. Teresa G. Guadalupe on development research as well as the function of the Regional Gender and Development Committee, Regional Statistical Committee, the Regional International Migration Committee and the Social Development Committee who discussed the role of NEDA as technical secretariat of the RDC.
Assistant Regional Director Raul S. Anlocotan moderated the open forum which generated queries about priority projects, NEDA’s role in providing assistance to municipalities, etc.
The provincial briefings will run for the entire month of July up to the 1st week of August, covering the region’s 5 provinces and 3 cities. The activity is also a venue to inform the LGUs on the importance of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Public-Private Partnership (PPP), and how the LGUs can access funding for big ticket projects.
The briefings will continue in the Province of Capiz and the City of Roxas on July 19 and 20, respectively. (CPGaitana/NEDA)
