TACLOBAN CITY – The Eastern Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC) has nominated Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla and two city mayors to chair the region’s highest policymaking body in the next three years.

The other nominees are Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez and Baybay City Mayor Jose Carlos Cari.

The RDC announced on Friday that the list of nominees has been forwarded to the Office of the President for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s appointment.

Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Meylene Rosales, the acting RDC chair, said they are hoping the appointment would be made soon.

“We really cannot say when the appointment will be out, but we are confident that this will be given attention since President Marcos has high recognition for the RDC, and he even led a special meeting with the council here,” Rosales said in an interview.

Meanwhile, nominated as private sector representatives (PSRs) were Roy Bernard Fiel (agriculture and fishery), Leo Christian Lauzon (social protection), Francisco Barredo (financial intermediation), and Judah Aliposa (environment).

Under Executive Order (EO) 82 signed by Marcos on Jan. 28, 2025, qualified to head the RDC as chair and co-chair are the provincial governors, mayors of capital towns and cities, presidents of the league of municipalities in six provinces, and PSRs.

The President will select among the nominees who will be the chair and co-chair.

Under the rule, if a local chief executive is chosen as chair, the co-chair will be from the private sector. On the other hand, if an official of the non-government group is selected as chair, the co-chair will be a local chief executive.

The RDC has nine PSRs who will also serve for the next three years until 2028 in compliance with EO 82, which seeks to strengthen the RDC.

Aside from those nominated, the other PSRs are Efren Canabe (business sector), Angelito Cañete (infrastructure), Allan Laniba (energy), Bellsedaize Acaso (labor), and Henry Gosyco (institution building).

The RDC confirmed the membership of these PSRs during its meeting on Sept. 11, according to Rosales.

Other RDC members are heads of national government agencies in the region, provincial governors, city mayors, and presidents of the league of municipalities.

The council is the primary institution that coordinates and sets the direction of all economic and social development efforts in the region.

Additionally, it provides a platform for linking and integrating local efforts with national development initiatives.

The RDC serves as the counterpart of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board at the subnational level.