BACOLOD City – The Regional Development Council 6 (RDC-6) tackled the proposed major projects for the region during the first full council meeting hosted by Bacolod City’s Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, the council chairperson, in Macau, China, on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
“We delved into the initiatives and plans aimed at propelling our region forward – highlighting the spirit of shared responsibility and fostering a vision for a more inclusive and proactive Western Visayas,” Benitez said in a statement on Thursday, Dec. 7.
The top 10 projects pushed by the RDC-6 for implementation include the Aklan cruise port hub; modernization of Guimaras parola ports; heart, lung and kidney center; shared service facilities for solid waste management; farm schools; smart agriculture system; regional warehouses for disaster response and management; Panay River Basin Integrated Development Project; Iloilo-Capiz-Aklan Expressway; and Bacolod Coastal Road, Iloilo Circumferential Roads and other vital/strategic road networks.
The Bacolod City mayor led officials of regional line agencies, representatives from the private sector, and local chief executives in a four-day council meeting and learning visits in China’s special administrative region until today, Dec. 8.
“With Macau’s various smart city initiatives, it is the perfect backdrop and venue for our fourth quarter council meeting,” he added.
During the meeting at The Venetian Macao on Wednesday, the RDC-6 discussed the implementation of regional development priorities as Benitez underscored the need for the council to be “more relevant to nation-building.”
“It is not just in policy-making, but also in investment programming, project implementation, and monitoring and evaluation,” he added.
As the RDC-6 chairperson, Benitez has to submit to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., through the National Economic and Development Authority Board regional plans, the regional investment programs, annual development reports, and other documents on the region as approved by the council. (PNA)/PN
