Regional dev’t council chairmanship: Rama does not mind losing post

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he would not mind losing the chairmanship of the Central Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC) to allies of President Benigno Aquino III at the Liberal Party.

“Let whoever become elected and give the President whom he wishes to be the RDC chairman. Ayaw labad-labara kay alangan mamugos tag modaog nga I am not a Liberal Party,” Rama said yesterday.

Rama earlier expressed his intention to continue holding the RDC chairmanship. He was the council chairman from 2010 to June 2013 during his first term as mayor.

Rama ran under the LP in the 2010 elections but when the party picked former Cebu City south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña as its mayoralty bet in May 2013 elections, he joined the United Nationalist Alliance.

He added that whoever will be the next RDC chair should respect the city’s projects established under his administration.

No nominations for chair

At the RDC reorganizational meeting yesterday, the nominations for chairperson and co-chairperson were among the agenda being discussed.

But the council decided to give Aquino a freehand to decide who among the local chief executives would lead the body for the term 2013-2016.

The meeting was presided by acting RDC vice chairperson Efren Carreon, assistant regional director of the National Economic Development Authority- 7. 

Executive Order 325 provides that the “Council shall nominate at least two local chief executives who are ex-officio members and two private sector representatives (PSR) and submit to the Office of the President from which the appointment of the chairperson and co-chairperson will be based.”

If a local chief executive is appointed as chairperson, the co-chairperson must come from the PSR and vice-versa.

The council approved the motion of Cebu PSR Emmanuel Rabacal to endorse the four governors, 16 city mayors and the mayor of the capital town of Siquijor for the chairmanship.

NEDA-7, which serves as the RDC secretariat, gave the local chief executives a month to submit their respective curriculum vitae and clearances from the Ombudsman, Civil Service Commission, National Bureau of Investigation and Sandiganbayan.

Bohol Governor Edgardo Chatto said that the list to be submitted to the President will be shortened once only those interested would submit the documents. 

Nominated for vice chairperson are PSRs Argeo Melisimo of Bohol who previously held the position and Charles Sy of Cebu.

The council also confirmed yesterday the membership of new PSRs in Central Visayas RDC and the chairmanship of the sectoral committees.

They are Panfilo Asares, Melisimo and Emilia Roslinda of Bohol; lawyer Mae Elaine Bathan, Robert Go, Abundio Gultiano Jr., Adela Avila-Kono, Rabacal and Sy of Cebu; Alex Amor Jr., Profetiza Lim and Ernesto Quiamco of Negros Oriental; and Arthur Chan and Elnard Ympal of Siquijor.

Gultiano was elected chairman of the Development Administration Committee (DAC), Go of the Economic Development Committee (EDC), Rabacal of the Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC), and Asares of the Social Development Committee (SDC).

Agencies which act as co-chairperson of the committees are the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for IDC, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for EDC, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for SDC, and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for DAC.

Sy was also elected chairman of the Regional Land Use Committee, Asares of the Regional Project Monitoring Committee, Rabacal of the Sub-Committee on Power.

Jose Tomongha was also confirmed as labor sector representative and former SDC chairperson Teresa Fernandez as basic sector representative to the RDC 7.

Carreon is hoping that the next full council meeting in Bohol will be presided over by the new RDC chairperson. —/LPM (FREEMAN)