EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 325
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 325 -
REORGANIZATION OF THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS [REPEALING
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 308, SERIES OF 1987, AS AMENDED BY EXECUTIVE ORDER
NOS. 318, (S. OF 1988), 347 (S. OF 1989), 366 (S. OF 1989), 455 (S. OF
1991) AND 505 (S. 1992)]
WHEREAS, Articles X, Section 14 of
the Constitution provides that the President shall create regional
development councils (RDCs) and other similar bodies composed of local
government officials, regional heads of departments and other
government offices and representatives from non-governmental
organizations within the regions;
WHEREAS, the purposes for the creation of the RDCs are administrative
decentralization to strengthen the autonomy of the local government
units therein and to accelerate the socio-economic development of the
regions;
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the State that socio-economic development
programs and activities of government be undertaken with the extensive
and active participation and support from, and coordination of, various
government agencies, as well as private sector institutions at the
national, regional and local levels;
WHEREAS, there is a need to provide for a responsive forum at the
regions for the meaningful participation and support from the concerned
members of the House of Representatives;
WHEREAS, there is a need to reorganize and strengthen the RDCs to make
them more effective institutions in the regions responsible for
ensuring sustainable, participatory and equitable development;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by the
powers vested in me by law, do hereby repeal EO 308 s. 1987, as
amended, and order to wit :
Section 1. Regular Members. — The following shall be
the regular RDC members:
a.
all provincial governors;
b. all city
mayors;
c. mayors of
municipalities designated as provincial capitals;
d. all
presidents of the provincial league of mayors;
e. the mayors
of the municipality designated as the regional center;
f. the
regional directors of agencies represented in the National Economic and
Development Authority Board (NEDA, DAR, DA, DBM, DENR, DOF, DFA, DOH,
DILG, DOLE, DPWH, DOST, DTI, DOTC, BSP) and the regional directors of
DECS, DSWD, and DOT; provided that each agency shall be represented by
only one regional director; and
g. private
sector representatives (PSRs) who shall comprise one-fourth of the
members of the fully-constituted council.
Sec. 2. Selection of PSRs. — The selection of
private sector representatives to the RDC shall be done in accordance
with the guidelines approved by the NEDA Board.
Sec. 3. Special Members. — The RDC, subject to the
concurrence of majority of its regular members, may designate special
non-voting members of the Council.
Sec. 4. Functions of the RDC. — The RDC shall have
the following functions:
a.
Coordinate the preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
of short and long-term regional development plans and investment
programs, regional physical framework plan and special development
plans, including the formulation of policy recommendations;
b. Integrate
approved development plans of provinces and cities, line agencies,
state universities and colleges, government owned and controlled
corporations and special development authorities in the region into the
regional development plan;
c. Review,
prioritize, and endorse to the national government the annual and
multi-year sectoral investment programs of the region for funding and
implementation;
d. Review and
endorse to the national government the annual budgets of agency
regional offices, state colleges and universities and special
development authorities;
e. Promote and
direct the inflow and allocation of private investments in the region
to support regional development objectives, policies and strategies;
f. Review and
endorse national plans, programs and projects proposed for
implementation in the regions;
g. As required
by the Investment Coordinating Committee (ICC), review and endorse
projects of national government agencies that have impact on the region
and projects of LGUs in the region requiring national government
financial exposure which may come in the form of guarantees, national
government budget appropriations or subsidies, among others;
h. Initiate
and coordinate the development, funding and implementation of regional
and special development projects such as those involving several
agencies or LGUs;
i. Coordinate
the monitoring and evaluation of development projects undertaken by
government agencies, local government units, state colleges and
universities, government-owned and/or — controlled corporations and
special development authorities in the region; and
j. Perform
other related functions and activities as may be necessary to promote
and sustain the socio-economic development of the regions.
Sec. 5. RDC Officials. — The RDC shall be jointly
headed by a Chairman and Co-Chairman appointed by the President. The
NEDA Regional Director shall be the ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the
RDC. The NEDA Assistant Regional Director shall be the Secretary of the
RDC.
Sec. 6. Executive Committee. — The Council shall
create an Executive Committee to act on matters that require immediate
attention for and on behalf of the RDC when it is not in session. The
Executive Committee shall comprise one-fourth of the total membership
of the fully-constituted Council, the membership to be determined by
the Council, provided that all sectoral committee chairmen created
under Sec. 7 of this Executive Order, shall automatically become
members of the Executive Committee. The Chairman, Co-Chairman,
Vice-Chairman and Secretary of the RDC shall also serve as the officers
of the Executive Committee.
Sec. 7. Sectoral Committees. — To assist the RDC
in the performance of its functions, the Council shall create sectoral
committees to handle social, economic, infrastructure, and development
administration concerns whose composition shall be determined by the
Council. The sectoral committees shall perform functions analogous to
and supportive of the functions of the Regional Development Council.
They shall review and endorse matters pertaining to their respective
sectors to the RDC Executive Committee and/or the RDC Full Council.
Sec. 8. Advisory Committee. — To further
strengthen the coordinative and consultative mechanism in the regions,
there is hereby created an Advisory Committee to advise, assist and
support the Council in discharging its functions. It shall be composed
of the members of the House of Representatives representing the
provinces and districts of the region who shall signify their intention
to become members thereof in writing, and members of the Council’s
Executive Committee.
The Chairman, Co-Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary of the Council
shall also serve as the officers of the Advisory Committee.
The Committee may meet as often as necessary but not less than once a
semester.
Sec. 9. Affiliate Committees. — The various
committees and councils organized to carry out national and agency
programs are considered to be under the umbrella of the RDC. Their role
shall be to assist the RDC coordinate, monitor and evaluate their
respective specific concerns. In general, secretariat functions to
these bodies shall be provided by the lead agency that organized the
council/committee.
Sec. 10. Meetings. — The RDC Full Council shall
meet at least once every quarter. It may adopt its own rules on
constituting quorum.
Sec. 11. Appointment of Chairman/Co-Chairman. — In
line with the government’s thrust on decentralization, the RDC shall
nominate at least two (2) local chief executives who are ex-officio
members and two (2) private sector representatives from whom the
President shall select and appoint the RDC Chairman and Co-Chairman,
provided, that if the Chairman is from the government sector, the
Co-Chairman shall be selected from the private sector (and vice-versa).
Regional Directors of national government agencies in the region shall
not be included in the selection of nominees for Chairman and
Co-Chairman.
Sec. 12. Functions/Powers and Responsibilities of
the Chairman/ Co-Chairman. — The Chairman/Co-Chairman shall have the
following functions, powers and responsibilities:
a.
Preside over the meetings of the Council;
b. Direct
members of the Council, affiliate committees and regional line agencies
to perform tasks the RDC may deem necessary;
c. Accept, in
behalf of the Council, donations, contributions, grants, bequests or
gifts;
d. Represent
the region in Cabinet meetings and other activities at the national
level;
e. Submit to
the President through the NEDA Board regional plans, regional
investment programs, annual development reports and other documents on
the region as approved by the Council; and
f. Perform
other functions and duties as may be directed by the President.
Sec. 13. RDC Secretariat. — The NEDA Regional
Office shall be the Secretariat of the RDC. The NEDA Regional Director
shall manage the technical, administrative and financial operations of
the RDC and shall be accountable for the funds and properties of the
RDC.
Sec. 14. Term of Office. — The RDC Chairman,
Co-Chairman and private sector representatives shall serve in the
Council for a fixed term of three years coinciding with the regular
term of local elective officials.
Sec. 15. Funding. — Funds necessary for RDC
operations, project monitoring and evaluation, and implementation of
special projects shall be included in the annual general appropriations
bill submitted to Congress, subject to the usual auditing rules and
regulations.
Sec. 16. Non-Applicability. — This Executive Order
shall not apply to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the
Cordillera Administrative Region.
Sec. 17. Implementing Rules. — The NEDA Board is
hereby directed to prepare and adopt detailed guidelines to implement
the specific provisions of this Executive Order.
Sec. 18. Transitory Provision. — The existing
private sector representatives shall continue to serve the Council
until the expiry of their term. The selection of the new set of private
sector representatives shall then be guided by Sec. 2 of this
Executive Order.
Sec. 19. Repealing Clause. — All previous
issuances inconsistent with the provisions of this Executive Order are
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
Sec. 20. Effectivity. — This Executive Order shall
take effect immediately.
DONE, in the City of Manila,
this 12th day of April in the year of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred and
Ninety Six.
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Since 19.07.98.