1. Approve the Regional Development Plan, the Regional Physical Framework Plan, the Multi-Year Regional Development Investment Program, the Regional Annual Investment Program and other special development plans;
2. Ensure the consistency of local development plans and the regional development plans and priorities, through coordination with local development councils;
3. Submit an annual assessment of plan implementation and an integrated report on the annual performance of the economy in the region;
4. Ensure the preparation of integrated socio-economic profile of provinces with sub-provincial components, which shall be updated every after 3 years by the local government units and, when requested, provide technical assistance thereof;
5. Ensure, through the process of evaluation, that nationally-funded programs and projects in the region have gone through the required consultation at the LGU level, have secured the support of local officials,

The RDC was created by Presidential Decree No. 1 issued on September 1972. It was formally established by virtue of Letter of Implementation No. 22 issued on 31 December 1972 pursuant to the implementation of the Integrated Reorganization Plan of 1972. Its present constitutional foundation rests on Article X, Section 14 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which states that, “The President shall provide for Regional Development Councils, or other similar bodies composed of local government officials, regional heads of departments and other offices, and representatives from non-government organizations within the region for purposes of administrative decentralization to strengthen the autonomy of units therein and to accelerate the economic and social development of the units in the region.” 

On April 12, 1996, the President issued Executive Order No. 325 reorganizing the Regional Development Council, repealing Executive Order No. 308, series of