DEPDev bolsters regional, national investment programming linkages

The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, or DEPDev, has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening coordination between regional and national government agencies to ensure “coherent, inclusive, and results-driven” development during the Regional-National Investment Programming Dialogue held Wednesday, November 26.

The latest Regional-National Investment Programming, or RNIP, Dialogue is the first since DEPDev’s transition from the National Economic and Development Authority following the enactment of the Economy, Planning, and Development Act, or Republic Act No. 12145.

DEPDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the landmark reform institutionalizes DEPDev’s mandate in investment programming and expands the role of Regional Development Councils in shaping the national budget.

“This new charter empowers our Regional Offices to take a more proactive role in aligning regional priorities with national strategies. By reinforcing the linkages among planning, budgeting, monitoring, and evaluation, we ensure that development efforts are coherent, inclusive, and results-driven,” he explained.

The RNIP Dialogue serves as a platform for government agencies to align regional and national development priorities.

It is also designed to ensure that regional projects are reflected in the national budget and to strengthen the readiness and transparency of priority programs and projects.

The forum allows agencies to refine project inclusion criteria, endorse priority regional projects as Agency Regional-National Investment Projects, or ARNIP, and identify proposals needing feasibility study support.

This year’s RNIP Dialogue brought together DEPDev Regional Offices, Regional Development Councils—including the newly created Negros Island Region—and officials from 13 national government agencies.

DEPDev Undersecretary Carlos Bernardo O. Abad Santos, who heads the DEPDev Regional Development Group, said the agency has been working to make the RNIP process more responsive so that planning and budgeting remain tightly linked.

“For this RNIP Dialogue, we further refined our prioritization criteria to emphasize project readiness. These enhancements build on previous gains and strengthen the chances of regional priorities securing budget allocations,” he said.

To close the discussions, Balisacan reaffirmed the government’s resolve to pursue reforms in investment programming and the national budgeting process.

“Our objective remains clear: to institutionalize a robust process for identifying priority regional programs and projects, and to ensure that these receive adequate budget support for timely and meaningful implementation,” he said.

He stressed DEPDev’s readiness to guide and coordinate efforts that advance the development and prosperity of regions across the Philippines.

“As we advance, DEPDev stands ready to provide guidance and coordination. But the success of this work ultimately rests on the sustained collaboration among our line agencies, regional partners, and oversight institutions,” Balisacan added.

Balisacan said the outcomes of the RNIP Dialogue will be conveyed to the Office of the President, which has continued to show support for Regional Development Councils.

In April last year, RDC chairpersons and DEPDev—then still known as NEDA—met with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to discuss various regional development initiatives aligned with the strategies in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and the Regional Development Plans.

Since its inception in 2023, the RNIP process has systematically linked Regional Development Investment Programs, or RDIP, with the Public Investment Program, or PIP, harmonizing national, sectoral, and regional targets for 2023 to 2028.

The PIP outlines the national government’s priority programs and projects, while the RDIPs capture the key development priorities of each region to ensure that local needs are reflected in national planning.

Both the PIP and RDIPs are linked to the budget, or National Expenditure Program, through the investment programming cycle, where priority projects identified through the RNIP process help shape government agencies’ submissions to the Department of Budget and Management.

DEPDev reported that the first two RNIP Dialogues yielded significant results, with 66 percent of ARNIPs for fiscal year 2025 and 90 percent for fiscal year 2026 integrated into the Updated PIP 2023-2028.

Nearly half of fiscal year 2025 projects were also included in the General Appropriations Act, demonstrating stronger alignment between regional priorities and actual budget allocations.

Apart from DEPDev officials, this year’s dialogue was attended by Education Secretary Juan Edgardo M. Angara, Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla, Science and Technology Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., and Budget and Management officer-in-charge Secretary Rolando U. Toledo.

Information and Communications Technology Assistant Secretary June Vincent Manuel Gaudan, RDC chairpersons, officials from various national agencies, other stakeholders, and local government officials also joined the discussions.