Saturday, August 25, 2007 Ledesma: RDC after JVA By Jun Ledesma Sunbursts
JESUS V. Ayala has bowed out of “public service.” JVA to corporate community and "Chito" to friends, he had been deeply involved in regional development council (RDC) as chairman.
He has become an icon in the region when it comes to integrated development having served as RDC head under four presidents of various political colors. He started as RDC chairman during the term of Cory Aquino and this month he made firm his decision to give others the chance of be in his shoes.
Because Chito is my Ninong, I know him well and how dedicated he is to his job. He was so good that President Cory once said that she wanted to "clone Chito for other regions in the Philippines." Well, the workhorse of regional development of the four presidents has to have his relaxation too. He is not getting any younger. The other day, I learned from Ninong Chito's indefatigable wife, Ninang Fe, that indeed JVA had bowed out and that Davao del Norte Governor Dolfo del Rosario will take over his place.
I asked Governor del Rosario about his being chairman but he is not aware about it. He said that they have met and re-organized the Development Council and that they have completed the sectoral representations. He is one of those in the government. The Chair is yet to be appointed by President Arroyo. I think that the perception that RDR is going to be the next RDC Chair stemmed from the fact that he served in Arroyo's cabinet as Secretary and that being chairman of the Davao Integrated Development Plan would make the job of RDC head as easy as eating pie.
RDC has become very important these days in the light of the "Super Regions" program of the current administration. It's the centerpiece of Arroyo's program to make the country competitive and to lure foreign investors. Infrastructure development is an important agenda in this program. I think that RDC will play an important role and yes, I agree, that the man who can best qualify to fit JVA’s shoes is Dolfo (RDR).
Many heads of the local government do not realize that RDC is part of the mechanism in national planning, approval, prioritization and allocation of funds. I served once as member of the Infrastructure Development Committee of the RDC and saw how the council works. There are bridge steel structures for maximum length of 20 meters which came from Europe that were available for the LGUs. To my surprise only two provinces avail of the bridge program. Maybe it’s because they're practically without cost to the LGUs and therefore there's no "commissions" that can be derived that this bridge project does not appeal at all to the LGUs.
Projects that requires national funding component need the imprimatur of the RDCs. The LGU that can present feasibility study and can defend its thesis in the Council gets to have its proposed project submitted to the Office of the President for endorsements, final approval, and funding.
BTW, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has recommended to President GMA and I think to Defense Secretary Teodoro, his proposal not to allow corporate plantations, logging and mining firms to arm their security guards with firearms. He said that the FAs will just serve as magnets for communist and other rebel groups who are out campaigning for "agaw armas." The mayor speaks from where he stands. As head of the Regional Peace and Order Council he knew from statistics that security guards, even as they are armed with high-power firearms, cannot put up a fight to raiding elements. They ended up surrendering their arms without firing a single shot. He said that he hopes that the President will heed his proposal to stop rebels from raiding plantations and mining firms and gather more firearms for their arsenals.
My condolence to Secretary Jess Dureza for the demise of his dad who passed away Wednesday at the age of 85. His father, Martin, is a war veteran who saw action in his native province - Iloilo. The family moved to Guihing, Davao del Sur where, as a bus driver, he sweat to send all his children to school. His remains lie in state at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes.
