Ten years after I left the government, I found myself elected by my peers to the Regional Development Council. I had the privilege of being a member of the RDC for many years, far beyond those ten years. I’ve thought I should use my long government experience and ten years of engagement in the private sector, especially in multimedia communications.
It was challenging to get back in, with forms to fill out and submit. I also had to know who was qualified to vote and introduce myself to them to get their trust and vote.
After eight months, I was surprised at many things. First, the names and faces were mostly new; I wondered if I had been away that long. Second, I noticed that this was just a personal view, a need to improve how the participants understood the planning process, and, more importantly, to emphasize the purpose of this development council and, by extension, the rationale for having a development council at the regional level.
Going back to the NEDA building in the Government Center was easy. I could almost walk up to the second floor without watching the steps. Then I remember, “No wonder, I have been up maybe at least 20,000 times, computed four times a day on a five-day workweek”. (With that, the reader will have an idea how long I was in this building holding the office) The conference rooms were still of the same size but now have impressive tables and plenty of wide-screen TV monitors all over. High-tech.
I need to put an observation here. I chose the “Restricted” label at the bottom of the agenda folder cover for this column. As implied, I spent many years on the RDC, but this label was never placed on the Agenda Folder. It looks like the RDC has suddenly become secretive about its proceedings. (What does it want to hide?) I asked the Presiding Officer why this label was on the cover in my first meeting. The answer was not categorical; it sounded like it was something the NEDA Main Office wanted them to do. It looks like that is now the rule in government. In this instance, I feel that the government is imposing virtual censorship. It has created a barrier between itself and the public, The programs and projects presented and decided on by the RDC should be an open book. Access to it must be encouraged, not restricted. This practice of censorship will, in effect, isolate the RDC from the public. It is a kind of control of the media reminiscent of those dark days of Martial Law rule. I will continue to ask that this restriction be taken off the agenda folder.
The previous Co-Chair of the RDC represented Multimedia Communications. I wonder how she reacted to this labeling of the RDC Agenda.