A new leadership shift in the Visayas is expected to strengthen coordination among regions, with Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro elected to head the Regional Development Committee–Visayas Area Committee (RD Com–VAC).
Baricuatro was chosen through consensus among the four governors representing the Visayas’ regional development councils during a reorganizational meeting held Monday, January 26, in Cebu City. The meeting was convened by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev).
The RD Com–VAC serves as a key coordinating body that aligns development priorities of the Visayas regions and elevates them for national policy consideration, funding support, and inclusion in long-term development plans.
With Baricuatro at the helm, Visayas leaders are expected to push more strongly for cross-regional initiatives that address shared concerns rather than isolated provincial needs.
Serving as co-chairpersons of the committee are Aklan Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores of Western Visayas, Negros Oriental Governor Manuel Sagarbarria of the Negros Island Region, and Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla of Eastern Visayas.
Baricuatro also currently chairs the Regional Development Council of Central Visayas, giving her a dual role that broadens her mandate to the entire island group.
In her message following the meeting, Baricuatro underscored the need for closer coordination among Visayas regions, noting that economic and social challenges increasingly cut across geographic boundaries.
“We have faced both challenges and opportunities as individual regions, but the call and commitment for a collective Visayas-wide voice, action, and solidarity remain crucial in ensuring that development gains are felt across our regions and communities,” she said.
Her term as RD Com–VAC chairperson will run from 2026 to 2028.
In this role, she will represent the Visayas bloc in engagements with the Economic and Development Council and other national agencies.
Among the priority areas identified for stronger inter-regional collaboration are major infrastructure links, tourism circuits, investment promotion, and sustainability initiatives that span multiple provinces.
Baricuatro succeeds former Bacolod City mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez, marking a transition in leadership as the Visayas recalibrates its development strategy.
Her expanded regional role builds on her earlier appointment as chairperson of the Central Visayas RDC, a position she assumed in October 2025 after being designated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (SBA)
Photo by Cebu Province
