NEDA OFFICE. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional office in Palo, Leyte where the Regional Development Council holds its regular meeting. The Regional Development Council has completed the series of consultations in the formulation of the 2023-2029 Eastern Visayas Regional Development Plan, NEDA reported on Thursday (Dec. 1, 2022). (File photo)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Regional Development Council (RDC) will be waiting for the public's feedback on the proposed 2023-2028 Eastern Visayas Regional Development Plan (RDP) after a series of consultations with various sectors to complete the plan.
“We will upload the draft on our website within the month or early of January to allow the public to post their comments,” National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Meylene Rosales said on Thursday.
Minor changes will be carried out if the people's suggestions are aligned with the regional priorities.
“Our RDP embodies the desire of Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) to jumpstart its economic transformation to a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient society. This is crucial as we work towards our regional vision,” Rosales added.
The region’s vision is summarized as “a resilient and prosperous Eastern Visayas where people enjoy equitable opportunities for sustainable human development.”
The six-year plan will consider the new normal and recent developments at the regional, national, and international levels.
“The RDP will be a reflection of what we want for our region and for our people. Now is the time to take stock of our situation,” Rosales said.
She cited the improvement in the region’s poverty ranking from the second poorest nationwide in 2015 to the fifth poorest in 2021, but underscored that “Eastern Visayas can perform so much better given its rich natural endowments and human resources.”
The new RDP will also contain strategies to address issues and concerns relating to gender and development, and strengthen disaster risk reduction and resilience-building.
The series of workshops have been completed a year after the RDC endorsed the guidelines for the RDP preparations, she added n a phone interview.
The NEDA, the secretariat of the RDC, has conducted a series of consultations with the regional line agencies, local government units, business groups, religious sectors, non-government organizations, and other stakeholders for the drafting of the six-year plan on the sectoral framework, outcomes, and targets. (PNA)
