By Ven C. Arigo

Having earned praises from Pres. Aquino for his rehabilitation efforts after the Oct. 15 earthquake, Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto is the new chairperson of the Regional Development Council (RDC), with Aquino himself sealing his RDC appointment. With his appointment to RDC's top post, Chatto has now earned the distinction as the first and only Boholano leader to head two influential and sensitive Central Visayas bodies at a time. The Bohol chief executive is the present chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC). Fellow provincial officials joined Chatto in thanking the president, citing the new huge aid and the trust to lead the RDC as crucial to the continuing massive rehabilitation and major development ventures pushed before the great earthquake.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Efren Carreon on Friday surprised Chatto of his selection by the president to head the RDC in Central Visayas, which covers Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor provinces. The NEDA, which is RDC's secretariat, transmitted to Chatto copy of his official appointment signed by Aquino to chair the RDC until 2016. A day before, Malacañang informed the governor of the president's approval of the P2.389 billion public infrastructure rehabilitation fund and endorsement to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for its release. Chatto was in Manila on Thursday for the General Assembly of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), of which he is the national secretary-general.

The mother of all local leagues, the ULAP converges into its umbrella the country's leagues of the governors, vice governors, provincial board members, mayors, vice mayors, councilors, and barangay councils, among others. The fund, an assistance package separate from previous huge releases for specific reconstruction and recovery works, is this time intended to rehabilitate and rebuild infrastructure facilities destroyed by the monster earthquake. These facilities include damaged city and town halls, civic centers, public markets, barangay facilities, bridges and waterworks systems as reported in the comprehensive Bohol Rehabilitation Plan submitted by Chatto to Aquino.

FULL RDC SUPPORT

The NEDA-7 director, who is also the RDC vice chairperson, committed to the Bohol leader “our full support to the RDC under your leadership.” Regarded a very powerful singular development body in the region, the RDC is set to conduct its first full-council meeting under Chatto in Tagbilaran City on June 23. The RDC can already be able to identify its priority action agenda for 2014-2016 as early as first week of June when Chatto leads its strategic planning workshop in Cebu.