RDC XI Endorses Roadmap to Address the Impact of El Niño (RAIN) for Davao Region

DAVAO CITY- The Regional Development Council XI recently endorsed to the El Niño Task Force Davao Region’s inputs to the Roadmap to Address the Impact of El Niño (RAIN).RAIN is the proposed national roadmap to address the impact of El Niño, particularly on food security, energy security, health and public safety. The task of crafting the Roadmap is entrusted to the cabinet-level El Niño Task Force which is headed by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA Director General Arsenio M. Balisacan with members coming from the Dept. of ublic Works and Highways (DPWH), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Department of Agriculture, and the Office of the Presidential Assistant on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization(OPAFSAM).

To ensure that the unique concerns of the provinces are considered, the El Niño Task Force Secretariat requested action plans of local government units and regional line agencies to mitigate El Niño impact. Included were the proposed Php 95 million El Niño Mitigation Plan of the Department of Agriculture (DA) XI which covers effective water management, provision of open-source pumps, small farm reservoirs and spring development, cloud seeding, distribution of seeds/planting materials, and conduct of IEC, among others. Similarly, the inputs provided by the local governments of Davao City and Davao del Norte also focused on interventions for irrigation in affected areas and countermeasures to lessen the impact of the expected dry spell. 

On the other hand, Rep. Anthony G. del Rosario, the Chairperson of the House Committee on Economic Affairs and Vice-Chairperson of the House Committee on Trade and Industry, also briefed the Council on two recently passed vital economic legislations, RA 10667 or the Philippine Competition Act and RA 10668 or the Amended Cabotage Law. The Philippine Competition Act addresses the issue of multiple, fragmented and widely scattered laws on competition; it also establishes a central authority- the Philippine Competition Commission- that shall enforce the competition laws and regulations and promote competition. The Amended Cabotage Law, on the other hand, aims to enhance the competitiveness of importers and exporters in light of intense competition in international trade by lowering the cost of shipping export cargoes from Philippine ports to international ports and import cargoes from international ports for the benefit of consumers.

Other key actions made by the Council in its 3^rd quarter meeting were the confirmation of RDC XI PSR Corazon Mae M. Baylon and PMS XI Regional Field Officer Riz Francisca A. Castañaga as Development Administration Committee (DAC) XI Chairperson and Co-Chairperson, respectively, and the approval of the Annual Investment Program (AIP) Guidelines for CY 2017.  The Council also decided to convene its Executive Committee in October to discuss important concerns regarding the Sasa Port Modernization Project.

The Council passed a total of thirty(30) resolutions, covering various regional development matters, as well as some organizational concerns.

The RDC XI 3^rd quarter meeting was conducted on 22 September 2015 at the NEDA-RDC XI Center, Davao City. The meeting was presided over by its Chairperson, Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario and assisted by Vice Chairperson, Director Maria Lourdes D. Lim of NEDA XI. Key attendees of the meeting were Davao del Norte 1^st District Representative Anthony G. del Rosario,Compostela Valley Vice-Governor Manuel E. Zamora, Panabo City Mayor James G. Gamao, Governor Generoso Mayor Vicente D. Orencia, Regional Directors of NGAs and RDC XI Private Sector Representatives. (John Saligan, PFPD, NEDA XI)