The Regional Development Council 2, with the Regional Peace and Order Council 2, endorsed twenty-five FY 2014 budget proposals from Regional Line Agencies (RLAs) and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), four major infrastructure projects, and three other major regional concerns during its first meeting of the year on March 20, 2013 at the Isabela State University Multipurpose Hall, Echague, Isabela.

The Councils endorsed a total budget proposal estimated at P 22.8B for FY 2014 which includes the budgets of 20 RLAs (CHED, DepEd, DOH, DSWD, TESDA, DA, NIA, BFAR, DAR, DENR, EMB, MGB, DILG, DOLE, DPWH, DOST, DOT, DTI, LTO, and LTFRB) and 5 SUCs (BSC, CSU, ISU, NVSU, and QSU). The endorsement also included those with the requirements of 49 target poor cities and municipalities under the Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB).

All budget proposals were guided by the Philippine Development Plan and Regional Development Plan and the Regional Development Investment Program (RDIP). These were also reviewed by the Regional Budget Review Committee earlier on March 11 and 12 with the participation of the private sector, Provincial Local Government Unit, the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA). The proposals were assessed and compared with the 2012 Performance of the agencies and SUCs as well as their targets in FY 2013.

On the other hand, the four major infra projects endorsed are the: 2 subprojects – the two sections of the Cagayan-Apayao Road in the Post Ondoy and Pepeng Short Term Infra Rehab Projects (POPSTIRP) amounting P34.5M; the Public-Private-Partnership for School Infrastructure Project (PSIP) II amounting to P 673.07M which involves construction of 134 secondary and 413 elementary classrooms in 353 schools; the Tumauini River Multi-Purpose Project (TRMP) worth P4 B covering a service area of 8,200 hectares in the municipalities of Cabagan, Tumauini and Ilagan City; and the 22 tourism road infra projects with additional projects for Isabela and Quirino under the DPWH-DOT Convergence Caravan.

Likewise, the immediate conduct of LIDAR Mapping under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) National Operational Assessment of Hazards Project or Project NOAH for the Cagayan River Basin in CY 2013 was also pushed by the body.

LIDAR mapping, a three dimensional mapping, is needed for the execution of two special projects in Region 2 namely: the Cagayan River Basin Project implemented by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Project REBUILD (Resilience Capacity Building for Cities and Municipalities to Reduce Disaster Risk from Climate Change and Natural Hazards) funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and New Zealand Aid Programme (NZAP) thru the Climate Change Commission. In addition, the LIDAR maps shall also serve as a vital reference and input in the validation of DRR-CCA spatial data in the region wherein all the five provinces pilot the mainstreaming of DRR-CCA in local plans, as well as the development and testing of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Information Support System Project (CRISP) with Region 02 as the pilot area in the country.

Furthermore, the two Councils approved and supported the proposed North Luzon Integration comprising of the Regions 1, 2, 3 and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). The integration is expected to develop a growth area and enhance the interregional linkages of the four regions to better compete against the other regions in the country, attract more investments given its diversified products, and widen economic potential taking advantage of its proximity to developing nations such as Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and China. To facilitate integration activities, the Councils also agreed for the creation of an interregional body to oversee the programs and activities.

Meanwhile, on the development of the Regional Government Center (RGC), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) requested for the conversion of the RGC road network into a national road. The 60-hectare RGC is subdivided into 80 lots that shall serve as a home to more than 70 government offices and common facilities clustered together in order to provide a one-stop government center. Said conversion will then better provide for its continuous development and maintenance, including the construction of vital infrastructure facilities. This, and the request of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation for a two-year extension of the period for building construction in the RGC was approved by the Council members with the passing of a Joint Resolution.