PALO, Leyte- Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez will not lobby before President Rodrigo Duterte for him to be appointed as the next chairman of the Regional Development Council (RDC) for Eastern Visayas. On Wednesday (August 31), Gomez, also known as “Goma,” together with Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez, Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan and Leyte Governor Dominic Petilla, the incumbent chair, were nominated to become the next RDC chairman representing the public sector. Roy Bernard Fiel, Oliver Cam and Tiburcio Morales were nominated as co-chairman representing the private sector. The RDC is the highest policy-making body in the region and serves as the counterpart of the NEDA (National Economic Development Authority) Board at the subnational level.
The RDC is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region. It also serves as a forum where local efforts can be related and integrated with national development activities. “I am not that close with the President. There is no assurance that I will be appointed,” Gomez said. During the May 9 elections, Gomez campaigned for Mr. Duterte. However, Gomez said that in case he will be chosen as the next RDC-8 chairman,his priority projects will focus on poverty alleviation. “I will do my best to funnel big amount of funding for the region although it is not the job of the chairman alone but the whole team,” the actor-turned city mayor said. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
