Historical Background
In the early 70’s, the policy to regionalize the operation of national agencies evolved.
Regionalization was conceived to improve service delivery particularly in implementing national government programs and projects.
This policy was embodied in the Integrated Reorganizational Plan (IRP) of 1972 under Presidential Decree 1.
It recognizes the needs, problems, and potentials vary across areas in the country. Hence, government responses must also vary depending on the situation in these areas.
Regionalization was an initial step for carrying out the policy. And together with it, was born in the Regional Development Councils of RDCs.
Regions are groups of province s and cities formed primarily based on their physical characteristics or geographic features. Secondary factors considered were economic, cultural and ethnic, land areas and population, and planning and administrative factors.
The IRP initially prescribed 11 regions, Subsequently, it was increased to 12 in 1975, and to 13 in 1976 (PD 879) naming Region IV as Metro manila and Region IV-A as Southern Tagalog.
Finally in 1978, PD 1396 delineated the National Capital Region (NCR) for Metro Manila and Region IV for Southern Tagalog. At present, there are 16 regions in the country.
Letter of Instruction No. 22 issued in 1973 called for the RDC organization with representatives from agency regional offices and local government units (LGUs).
Why RDC?
The RDC served as the regional machinery to coordinate the national and local government activities particularly in formulating and implementing development plans and programs for the region.
The Council was also the forum to raise and discuss regional development issues and concerns. The principles for its being make it a venue where national development are translated into specific regions and local objectives.
Conversely, the RDC provides the mechanism to raise local and regional issues to the attention of national government. Since its reorganization in1988, the RDC included representatives from the private sector which comprise a fourth of the total membership.
The Southern Tagalog RDC
The RDC IV was formally organized in 1975 after careful preparation and amidst changes ion the regional configuration particularly the exclusion of Metro Manila from Region IV.
Despite the designation of NCR as new regional group for Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog then, is the biggest region in terms of land area and total number of local government units.
The Birth CALABARZON RDC
E.O. 103 signed by President Gloria M. Arroyo in 2002, divided the Southern Tagalog Region into two regions IV-A (CALABARZON) and IV-B (MIMAROPA). The provinces that comprise IV-A are Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon or simply CALABARZON while the IV-B is composed of the island provinces of Mindoro Occidental and Oriental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan. The province of Aurora was transferred to Region III.
The creation of two regions necessitated the creation of a new RDC. The then Southern Tagalog RDC was reorganized into the CALABARZON RDC
