BAGUIO CITY -- Cordillera
congressmen proposed their possible inclusion in meetings of the Regional
Development Council in the Cordillera to forge harmonious relationship among elected
leaders and regional line agency officials.
The lawmakers
made the proposal to RDC-CAR officials during the advisory committee meeting of
the region’s policy-making body held at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City last
Wednesday.
Under
provisions of Executive Order (EO) No. 325 that prescribed guidelines in the
operation of the RDCs in the country, members of the House of Representatives
are considered to be members of the advisory committee that serve as the overall
adviser of the body in the conduct of its activities and in the formulation of
its programs and projects geared towards the overall development of the
regions.
However, the
Cordillera congressmen told the RDC-CAR to initiate appropriate move that will
facilitate possible amendment of the presidential issuance to include them as
members for them to actively participate in deliberations considering that most
of their proposed legislations need the formal endorsement of the RDC aside
from the fact that they will be the ones to help in defending the budgets of
the regional line agencies that are lodged in the annual budgets of the
different departments of the national government.
Based on
guidelines on composition of the RDCs, one-fourth of members should come from
the duly accredited civil society organizations that will represent either
geographic and sectoral groups that will comprise the private sector
representatives.
Milagros A.
Rimando, RDC-CAR vice chairperson and regional director of the Cordillera office
of the National Economic and Development Authority, welcomed the proposal of
the Cordillera congressmen to be actively involved in the regular activities of
the region’s policy-making body because it will help in strengthening working
relationship of Cordillera leaders and line agencies in the region.
She tasked
development administration committee of the RDC to formulate its
recommendations on how to ensure the involvement of the Cordillera congressmen
to activities of the region’s policy-making body while working out necessary
amendments to the executive order so members of the House of Representatives
will be considered as members of the RDC in their areas of jurisdiction.
The RDC is
mandated to conduct quarterly meetings and
4th quarter meeting of the region’s policy-making body is scheduled
during any of Thursdays in November which will be hosted by Apayao.
Earlier, the
Office of the President through Cabinet Secretary Carlo Nograles advised both
the RDCs and Regional Peace and Order Councils in the country to conduct joint
meetings to maximize time and resources of the participants.
Since 2016,
both the RDC-CAR and RPOC-CAR had been conducting joint meetings around the
region. – Dexter A. See
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