By Robbie Pangilinan 

Regional Development Council chairperson Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Gonzalez-Romualdez leads the country’s first ever joint meeting of three regional bodies to tackle issues of economic development, peace and order, and disaster resiliency.

With Romualdez leading the landmark meeting are Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) chairperson Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) head, Office of Civil Defense Regional Director Henry Anthony Torres.

“This is a very important gathering of leaders, in our efforts to push good governance in the province. We will not let politics get in the way of the development of Easter Visayas,” said Mayor Romualdez.

About 150 key officials from Eastern Visayas’ RDC, RPOC, amd RDRRMC will attend the meeting on December 3 in Ormoc City, hosted by Mayor Richard Gomez. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año are also expected to be here.

Agenda of the meeting include the passage of a resolution supporting the creation of a Department of Disaster Management (DDM), and the proposal to pass the responsibility of building roads in conflict-stricken areas in the Samar provinces from the Department of Public Works and Highways to the Philippine Army engineering brigade.

“This meeting will consolidate our efforts to attain socio-economic development, lasting peace, and disaster management and resiliency. The idea of the joint meeting emanated from one of the RPOC meetings in Samar which Secretary Lorenzana attended,” said National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Bonifacio Uy, also vice-chair of the Regional Development Council (RDC).