The Caraga Regional Development Council endorsed last week the establishment of the Caraga Regional Competitiveness Committee (RCC) to raise the country’s overall competitiveness as compared with selected Asean cities.

Department of Trade and Industry regional director Brielgo Pagaran who endorsed the establishment of the RCC said the role of the RCC would be to work with the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) in improving the country’s competitiveness as a means to reduce poverty incidence through inclusive growth in 11 focus areas, namely education and human resource development, performance governance system, streamlined business permits and licensing system, Philippine business registry, customs/national single window, infrastructure, power and energy, transparency in budget delivery, anti-corruption, ICT governance, and judicial reform.

“The other roles of the RCC are to oversee the collection and tracking of regional competitiveness indicators, make policy recommendations to improve the competitiveness position of the region,” Pagaran said.

With regards to composition of the RCC membership, Pagaran said the composition may not be entirely drawn from the RDC. The RDC may invite others from outside to become members.

“As a public-private sector body, it should have one co-chair each from the public and private sectors. It should strive to have half of its members from the private sector including the academe. It should also appoint a project or executive director as focal point person to ensure efficient coordination and implementation,” Pagaran added.

The proposed composition of the Caraga RCC shall be six cities, four provinces, capital towns, state universities, the Department of Agriculture, Deapartment of Agrarian Reform, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Tourism, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Trade and Industry, Commission on Higher Education, National Economic Authority and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for the public Sector.

For the private sector, Chamber of Commerce, private universities, industry cluster heads, CEOs of Caraga companies were identified.

In order to effect the endorsement, Pagaran moved for a resolution and was seconded by the body, where RDC was required to establish the RCC.

original source: www.pia.gov.ph