DILG -3 Regional Director Florida Dijan participated in the organizational meeting of the Regional Development Council 3 (RDC) Pampanga River Basin Committee (PRBC) on April 24, 2012 at Holiday Inn, Clarkfield, Pampanga.
The PRBC is a special committee of RDC 3 which shall primarily take charge of the implementation of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) strategy in the Pampanga River Basin and the premier coordinating body that shall exercise advisory, guidance, education and monitoring functions for the Basin’s management and development.
Newly installed Regional Director of the National Economic Development Authority 3 Director Severino Santos welcomed the participants while RDC Chairman City of San Fernando Mayor Oscar Rodriguez shared his message.
NEDA OIC-ARD Victor Ubaldo in his presentation of the PRBC overview mentioned that the committee was approved by RDC through Resolution No. 03-51-2011 on December 13, 2011. It was created to address the critical environmental issues hounding the Basin and to optimize the economic potentials and the opportunities it offers. Likewise, the Integrated Water Resources Management as the key approach and strategy of the Study is implementation-ready except at the regional level that prevents it from being cascaded down to the local level. Closing this Institutional gap will result in the reduction of disasters or their adverse effects due to mismanaged water resources and unleash the Basin’s potentials.
The committee is composed of the LCEs of the seven (7) provinces and two (2) HUCs of Region III; heads of NWRB, RBCO and National Power Corporation; Regional Directors of NEDA, DA, DENR, DPWH, DILG; one representative from the NGO sector; and one representative from the private/ business sector.
Elected officers were Tarlac Governor Victor A. Yap as Chairperson, Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino M. Alvarado-Sy as Co-Chairperson; and NWRB Executive Director Vicente Paragas as Vice Chairperson. NEDA was elected lead convenor and secretariat.
Three (3) Technical Working Groups were organized for the Planning/ Localization; Fund Sourcing/Advocacy; and Monitoring and Problem Solving.
