THE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board Regional Development Committee – Visayas Area has conducted a technical working group (TWG) workshop in Dumaguete City recently.

Neda-Western Visayas director Ro-Ann Bacal, who heads the committee secretariat, explained the rationale of the workshop which includes brainstorming and coming up with four major outputs.

These outputs are list of priority programs and projects to be individually or collectively pursued by the Visayas regions; agenda forecast for 2019 to 2022 calendared for the committee meetings; research proposals that will benefit the three regions; and special events to be jointly carried out by the Regional Development Council (RDCs) of the Visayas.

Neda-Central Visayas director Efren Carreon reported on the updates of programs and projects identified in the Visayas Spatial Development Framework.

Carreon discussed whether these projects are completed, under implementation, or still to be pursued by the regions.

“It is important for the regions to always be ready with proposals for the priority projects for the Visayas in order to ensure funding and realization,” he added.

During the workshop, participants were divided into groups in generating the expected outputs.

The regional directors also convened to discuss various concerns like how to prepare the line agencies to provide technical assistance to the local government units (LGUs) amid the increased allocations they will be receiving starting 2022.

They also tackled the need to update the Visayas Spatial Development Framework focusing on how to connect the physical and land use aspects to the sector concerns.

Other concerns are the need to offer Basic Course Trainings on urban and regional planning especially for newly hired personnel, and further strengthen the coordinative work with the Department of the Interior and Local Government especially on strengthening the capabilities of LGUs to handle more programs and projects.

The TWG is composed of the technical secretariats of the RDCs of Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas. (PR)