President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed Executive Order (EO) 82, reconfiguring the Regional Development Councils (RDCs) to accelerate socio-economic growth and improve governance at the regional level. The executive order, which took effect on January 28, expands the RDCs’ membership by adding 12 key government agencies, strengthening their role in regional planning and development.
The newly designated members of the RDCs include the regional heads of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Energy (DOE), Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).
EO 82 underscores the government’s commitment to regional development as outlined in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028. The order highlights the necessity of restructuring the RDCs to align with national priorities, ensuring that the councils can better support economic transformation and sustainable growth in the regions.
The directive tasks the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) with crafting new guidelines for regional investment programming and budgeting.
These guidelines outline how government agencies should prioritize RDC-endorsed programs, projects, and activities in their investment plans and annual budgets. Furthermore, central offices of government agencies must provide regular updates through their regional branches on the status of RDC-approved initiatives.
However, EO 82 explicitly excludes the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Metro Manila from its coverage.
Republic Acts 11054 and 7924, respectively, already define the governance structures in these areas.
NEDA is given a 60-working-day deadline to formulate the implementing guidelines for EO 82. These guidelines will include the framework for RDC operations, procedures for selecting council secretaries and officers, and policies governing leadership vacancies and succession within the councils.
To fund the initial implementation of EO 82, the government will draw resources from NEDA’s existing budget and any additional sources identified by the DBM. Future funding for the RDCs’ continued operations will be incorporated into NEDA’s budget proposals, subject to standard government budget preparation procedures.
By strengthening the RDCs and broadening their composition, the Marcos administration aims to enhance economic planning and governance at the regional level, paving the way for more inclusive and sustainable development across the country.
