By HENRY EMPEֹÑO | June 25, 2026

SAN FERNANDO, La Union — Zambales Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. sounded the call for active collaboration among local government units and agencies to accelerate development and integrate the economies of various regions in Luzon.

Ebdane issued the call here on June 24, as officers and representatives of regional development councils, along with regional directors of various government agencies, met to discuss development plans, infrastructure projects, and policy reforms in the eight regions across the island.

The meeting was convened by the Regional Development Committee-Luzon Area Committee (RDCOM-LAC), an inter-regional body under the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev), which is chaired by La Union Governor Mario Eduardo C. Ortega, also chairman of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Ilocos Region.

According to Gov. Ebdane, who is chairman of RDC-III, collaborative governance is important in undertaking concrete steps to integrate and strengthen the Luzon economy.

“We need to press forward together with reforms to lower electricity cost, bolster food security, and increase the pace for infrastructure projects because these are the foundations of a stable and progressive Luzon,” Ebdane said.

The June 24 RDCOM-LAC forum focused on interregional coordination, plan-fund matching, priority programs and projects, and strengthening monitoring and implementation mechanisms for the Luzon Spatial Development Framework (LSDF).

In the meeting, the Department of Energy gave an update of the power supply and demand in Luzon and discussed the proposal to include the cost of relocating utility poles in the Electrification Fund.

RDCOM-LAC, meanwhile, endorsed the development of port linkages for the SIDC Grains Terminal in Batangas to lower logistics cost and increase the supply of yellow corn.

In infrastructure, the committee approved projects under the Western-Central Nautical Highway Improvement Program and the inclusion of more projects under the LSDF.

Ebdane also said the LRDC should be used as a platform to accelerate economic development, promote infrastructure projects, and strengthen coordination and cooperation among Luzon regions.

The LSDF, which is a long-term spatial planning blueprint, covers the National Capital Region, Cordillera Autonomous Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and Bicol.

The planning blueprint was originally planned by the then National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in 2015 to integrate economies in the Luzon island, but was updated in 2025 to address shifting socio-economic, land-use, and environmental realities. ▲