CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)--The Regional Development Council (RDC)-X 135th Full Council meeting ended on a high note with the approval of 50 resolutions requested by its 10 committees.
Among the approved resolutions were guidelines on the preparation of the 2023 Preliminary Regional Development Report; Region X provincial and highly- urbanized city headline indicators and targets on growth and poverty rates for the period 2023-2028; Northern Mindanao Regional Development Policy Research Agenda 2023-2028; guidelines in the formulation of the FY 2025 Annual Investment Program and updating of the Regional Development Investment Program 2023-2028; proposed Terms of Reference for the formulation of the action plan to localize the Philippines Nationally Determined Contribution Policies and Measures in Northern Mindanao; and the Region X Annual Work Programs (AWP) of the non-host beneficiaries for the financial benefits under the Energy Regulations No. 1-94 of the Department of Energy.
The Council also endorsed the resolutions urging the 19th Congress to consider House Bill 9135 or the Act Mandating Government Agencies to allocate at least 10% of their Budget for Furniture and Fixtures for Products using Engineered Bamboo and other Bamboo-based Commodities as part of the Country’s Campaign towards the Use and Production of Sustainable Materials and House Bill 9144 or the Act Integrating Bamboo as a Sustainable Material for the Built Environment.
It also urged Congress to pass the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Bill, Ease of Paying Taxes Bill, National Government Rightsizing Program Bill, E-Governance Bill, and the Amendments to RA 8291 or the Government Service Insurance System Law and its Related Laws, House Bill No. 7216 or the Universal Accessibility Act of 2023, House Bill No. 8269 or the Act Protecting the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons and Penalizing the Acts of Arbitrary Internal Displacement.”
The Regional Development Council (RDC)-X convenes for its 135th full council meeting to discuss mechanisms and strategies to further ensure Northern Mindanao’s inclusive development. (DCC/PIA-10)
RDC-X further endorsed resolutions requesting Region X Congresspersons to file a bill extending the implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund; Requesting PAL Holdings Incorporated to revive the operations of Philippine Airlines at Laguindingan Airport to cater to the diverse needs of passengers for quality airline services; the school-based information campaign video against illegal recruitment by the communist terrorist groups as viewing material among junior and senior high school learners and first-year college students; the research study on the “Factors Influencing Incidence of Teenage Pregnancy in Region X”; and the Northern Mindanao Regional Development Plan 2023-2028 Strategic Communications Plan.
It likewise approved the requests of the Regional Land Use Committee and Inter-Agency Committee for Conflict Resolution of Tenurial Claims to reiterate RDC-X Resolution Nos. 116, 117, and 118 (s. 2021) to address the overlapping tenurial instruments issued within the Kibaritan Military Reserve and RDC-X Res. No. 119 (s. 2021) “Requesting the 18th Congress to support the Proposed Amendment of Section 12 of Republic Act 8371, otherwise known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 to be stated as The Option Granted under this Section shall be exercised within Twenty Years from the Review and Updating of its Implementing Rules And Regulations" as well as the first set of doable solutions and policy recommendations to address the conflicting tenurial claims in Talakag, Bukidnon.
Moreover, it endorsed the request for the inclusion of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples as a member of the National Land Use Committee and Regional Land Use Committee in the Proposed Executive Order on Land Use.
The Council further endorsed resolutions requesting the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos to prioritize Northern Mindanao local private sector groups in its capacity-building programs for FY 2024, the Department of Agriculture to increase the budgetary support for agricultural production services and extension services for Halal goods and services for Northern Mindanao, and the Department of Agriculture to establish a triple-A Halal Slaughterhouse in Region X.
RDC-X chairperson and Lanao del Norte Governor Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo stresses the relevance of holding the 135th RDC meeting during the fourth week of September, which coincides with Regional Development Council Week. She shares that the occasion aims to commemorate the birth of the RDCs as the key structure for regional planning and integrated local planning and programming, as well as highlight the vital role of the RDCs in socio-economic development. (DCC/PIA-10)
Being the highest policy-making body, the Council adopted the eGov Super App for government and approved the creation of Technical Working Groups for the formulation of the Northern Mindanao Regional Statistical Development Program 2023-2029
It also supported the cultural mapping program in Northern Mindanao; the re-organization of TWG on Road Right-Of-Way under the RDC-X InfraCom; creation and funding of law enforcement plantilla positions for the Land Transportation Office Regional Office X; RA 11291 or An Act Providing for the Magna Carta of the Poor; and the retention of Director Nelson S. Manaloto, Director Aminoden D. Guro, and Director Carlene C. Collado as the Regional Directors of Land Transportation Office-X, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-X, and Department of Agriculture-X, respectively.
In addition, it supported the observance of the National Mental Health Week in October 2023, Bayanihan Media Awards 2023, and the 34th National Statistics Month Celebration.
Also presented in the meeting were the Public Management Development Program (PMDP) of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP); updates on preparations for the Special RDC-X Advisory Committee Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and the status of funding of the proposed by-pass and diversion roads, Panguil Bay Access Road, and Panguil Bay Rotunda in Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
In her opening message, RDC-X chairperson and Lanao del Norte Governor Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo said the 135th RDC meeting is meaningful as it coincided with Regional Development Council Week.
"The occasion aims to commemorate the birth of the RDCs as the key structure for regional planning and integrated local planning and programming. It also aims to highlight the important role of the RDCs in socio-economic development," she said.
As such, she expressed her appreciation for RDC-X members for their valuable contributions and commitment to the inclusive development of the region. (APB/PIA-10)
