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.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 3. Special Members. - The RDC, subject to the concurrence of majority of its regular members, may designate special non-voting members of the Council.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 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 Section 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.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 10. Meetings. - The RDC Full Council shall meet at least once every quarter. It may adopt its own rules on constituting quorum.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 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.

SECTION 16. Non-Applicability. - This Executive Order shall not apply to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

SECTION 17. Implementing Rules. - The NEDA Board is hereby directed to prepare and adopt detailed guidelines to implement the specific provisions of this Executive Order.

SECTION 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 Section 2 of this Executive Order.

SECTION 19. Repealing Clause. - All previous issuances inconsistent with the provisions of this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 20. Effectivity. - This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 12 April 1996


By the President:

(SGD.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary