Outgoing RDC-7 officials to successors: Prioritize major regional dev’t projects

The Regional Development Council in Central Visayas presented awards to its outgoing committee chairs, and private sector partners led by outgoing Chairman Kenneth Cobonpue.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The outgoing officials of the Regional Development Council in Central Visayas (RDC-7) have laid out their recommendations for RDC’s new leaders during the Second Quarter Full Council Meeting on Thursday, June 23, 2022, in a hotel in Mandaue City.

Among their recommendations is the fast-tracking of the approval of the request for the increase in costs of the projects already approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board-Investment Coordination Committee (ICC).

These projects are the Bus Rapid Transit and the New Cebu International Container Port.

Their Second Quarter Full Council meeting on Thursday was its last full council meeting for its term and also the first physical full council meeting it had since the COVID-19 pandemic happened.

The RDC-7, currently headed by Kenneth Cobonpue, also suggested to the next officials to fast-track the approval by the NEDA Board ICC of the unsolicited proposal for the Operations and Maintenance and Expansion of the Bohol-Panglao International Airport; the Metro Cebu Expressway; (MCE); the sustainable, inclusive, and resilient Tourism project, and the solar-powered fertigation project.

The MCE project spans the mountain slopes from Naga City in the south to Danao City in the north. It spans 73 kilometers and has a budget of P28 billion. It is estimated to reduce travel time from Naga to Danao from three hours to one hour.

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The outgoing council officers are also asking their successor to pursue the implementation and completion of the New Dumaguete Airport Development Project; the Tagbilaran-Panglao, Bohol Offshore Bridge Connector; the Mandaue-Lapu Lapu 4th bridge and Coastal Road Project, and the Metro Cebu Flood Control Project.

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Meanwhile, to ensure a smooth transition and secure continuity of its key agenda, the outgoing officials agreed with the proposal of Economic Development Committee Chairperson Virgilio Brigido Espeleta to conduct a transition planning workshop for the next set of RDC-7 officials.

Espeleta said that NEDA would be the one to orchestrate and design the conduct of the said transition planning workshop.   /rcg

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