The RDC5 held a total of three (3) Regular Council Meetings and two (2)
Executive Committee (ExCom) Meetings in CY 2001. Council decisions in
those sessions took the form of some twenty-three (23) Council
Resolutions and nine (9) ExCom Resolutions.
Development Planning and Investment Programming
Foremost among the Council’s achievements in Year 2001 was the
finalization of the Bicol Development Agenda (BiDA). The BIDA
is a synopsis of the various development plans of the Bicol
Region that was put together through the collaboration of
various stakeholders in the region such as the regional line
agencies, local government units, and the private sector.
BIDA set the investment priorities of Bicol, from which were
derived the annual investment priorities that were endorsed by
the Council to the Board of Investments (BOI) for inclusions in
the Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) of the country. Parallel to
that, a list of priority projects was also culled by the Council
and endorsed to form part of the Philippine Medium-Term Public
Investment Program (MTPIP) for the period 2001- 2004.
Unfortunately, none of those programs were included in the MTPIP
for 2001-2004. Of the BIDA projects, only the “Profitability
Enhancement Program in Rice Growing Areas in Bicol” was listed
in the MTPIP.
The RDC5, nevertheless, mustered efforts to push for the early
programming/implementation of some of its other priorities,
which included:
-
The preparation of the feasibility study of
the River Basin and Watershed Management Project (RBWMP)
from 2002 to the first quarter of 2003, and its
implementation in 2005;
-
Endorsement for possible grant financing of
the “Construction of Evacuation Centers for Mt. Mayon
Disaster Areas,” under the Japanese Government’s General
Grant-Aid Program;
Having adopted the Bicol Growth Corridor concept as a strategy
for development, the Council pushed for the conduct of a
detailed study on the Masbate-Sorsogon-Catanduanes (MASORCA)
Growth Area to complement the LINGDC, among the region’s
priority projects.
Upon the takeover of the Presidency by Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the region came up with an updated
comprehensive development plan and investment program for Bicol.
These were endorsed by the Council for consolidation into the MTPDP and MTPIP.
Congruent with the information and advocacy requirements of the MTPDP and MTRDP, the RDC 5 also approved the adoption of the Bicol Communication and Advocacy Master Plan and subsequently
created the Regional Information and Advocacy Committee (RIAC)
under its turf.
Budget Review
Notwithstanding the exclusion of RDC’s review and endorsement
roles in the budget preparation process of Agency Regional
Offices (AROs) and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), the
Council still endorsed the DPWH 5 Annual Infrastructure Fund per
request of the agency.
Endorsement of Nationally-Initiated Projects
Six
(6) national projects were reviewed and their respective
components involving the Bicol Region were duly endorsed by the
Council. The projects included the following:
-
Proposed Local Bridges for the Six Provinces
of the Bicol Region Under the UK-Assisted President’s Bridge
Program;
-
DPWH Bridge Replacement/Construction Project
(Austrian-Assisted Package);
-
FS and Implementation Program of the Trans-Visayas
Intermodal Transport Network Project;
-
Agrarian Reform Communities Development
Program (ARCDP) Phase II for World Bank funding;
-
FS on the Roll-On/Roll-Off Ferry Network
Development Project for the Trans-Visayas Intermodal
Transport Network;
-
Hospital Equipment Assistance Program for
Spanish Government funding.
Implementation of Local Projects
Infrastructure projects, including those already pipelined under
the Infrastructure Budget for possible funding and inclusion in
the ODA program packages, were endorsed by the Council. Among
them were:
-
Cagraray Island Development Project;
-
Conduct of Feasibility Study and Detailed
Engineering of the New Legazpi City Airport and its
Inclusion in the selected Airport Trunkline Development
Project Phase III of the DOTC;
-
Camalig Water District Rehabilitation
Project;
-
Camarines Sur Diversion Road Project (Nabua-Baao-Pili-Naga-San
Fernando);
-
Buhi-Tiwi Road Project;
-
Upgrading and Development of the Water
District of Iriga City; and
-
Construction of Evacuation Centers in Mayon
Disaster Areas in Albay.
The RDC 5 also pushed for the revival of the Bicol River Basin Flood
Control and Irrigation Development Project, which was aborted in
1992 following the negative results of its social-acceptability
evaluation. Fortunately for Bicol, a World Bank financial
assistance for a Master Plan of the River Basin and Watershed
Management Project (RBWMP), with similar objectives was diverted
to the region in lieu of Mindanao. The project has undergone the
bidding process and started on the first quarter of CY 2002.
Foreign-Assisted Projects
The RDC Secretariat reviewed and evaluated LGU proposals for the
RP-Japan Increase in Food Production Program, otherwise known as
the Second Kennedy Round (KR-2), a commodity assistance program
that aims to increase productivity and income of farmers and fisherfolk. The proposals were endorsed to the Bureau of Local
Government Finance (BLGF) for the subsequent release of the
required KR-2 proceeds. The Secretariat was also heavily
involved in monitoring the KR-2 projects to ensure their
compliance to the approved work and financial plans.
Settlement of Regional/Internal Issues and Concerns
Regional issues and conflicts that directly or indirectly
address the region’s economic condition were looked into by the
Council with unbiased opinions and recommendations. The Council
also managed its internal concerns smoothly and efficiently.
As
of 03 August 2001, the Council held its reorganizational
meeting. Thirteen (13) new Private Sector Representatives (PSRs)
were elected and confirmed by the Council as regular RDC
members. Also, through secret balloting, the Council chose its
nominees for RDC5 Chairman and Co-Chairman, whose names were
endorsed to the President for her selection and appointment.
Gov. Al Francis Bichara and Dr. Jose S. Estevez were eventually
appointed as the RDC5 Chairman and Co-Chairman, respectively.
Cognizant of its failure to elect PSRs for Masbate and
Catanduanes due to the failure of NGOs/POs in said areas to
nominate qualified candidates, the Council approved the late
nomination for PSRs.
Further, recognizing the roles of the Philippine National Police
(PNP) and of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in regional
development, the Council also approved the special non-voting
membership of the Regional Directors of these respective
agencies to the RDC in conformity with EO No. 325.
Project Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation of the status of development programs
and projects implemented in the region are functions of the
Regional Project Monitoring and Evaluation System (RPMES). The
RPMES Annual Work and Financial Plans for CY 2001 were duly
reviewed and approved by the Council.
