Eastern visayas: The Eastern Visayas (Region 8) Regional Development Council (RDC), during a meeting on Tuesday, endorsed PHP196.47 billion worth of projects for 2027.
According to Philippines News Agency, in a press briefing late Tuesday at the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) regional office in Palo, Leyte, RDC officials said the body endorsed some 2,257 proposed programs, projects, and activities strategically distributed across key development sectors.
A significant portion, PHP90.83 billion, of the proposal was earmarked for social development. This funding aims to expand access to education, healthcare, social protection, housing, and employment opportunities across Eastern Visayas. "Social sector budget proposals are focused on strengthening the delivery of essential services, particularly for vulnerable and underserved communities in the region. It also featured proposals from state universities and colleges, largely involving the construction and upgrading of academic buildings, laboratories, and research facilities to improve higher education delivery and support research and innovation in Eastern Visayas," the RDC stated.
Other proposed projects fall under various sectors, including infrastructure development with PHP88.2 billion, economic development with PHP62.96 billion, development administration with PHP6.81 billion, and the environment sector with PHP1.54 billion.
Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla, the RDC chairperson, expressed hope for the approval of the proposal, mentioning the challenges of budget cuts due to the energy emergency. "I really hope that it will be approved. The idea here is to hit a high rate of approval, but we are also aware that this will undergo deliberation because everybody must cut down the budget because of the energy emergency," he said.
Once approved, the budget is anticipated to support vital infrastructure, economic, social, and administrative initiatives, benefitting residents in Eastern Visayas.
The RDC indicated that its fiscal year 2027 budgeting process is aligned with the enhanced Public Investment Management guidelines, which incorporate a multi-dimensional and participatory budget review. The endorsement mechanism involved the Regional Inter-agency Task Force on Planning and Budgeting, concerned RDC sectoral committees, the RDC full council, and external stakeholders, including local government units and private sector representatives.
