DAET, Camarines Norte -- Three of the six Bicol governors, including the governor of this host province, were not around when the first meeting of the Regional Development Council (RDC) for this year was held in this capital town.

        The RDC is the highest regional policy-making council tasked with formulating plans for Bicol regional development.

        Only the two lady governors, Elisa Kho of Masbate and Sally Lee of Sorsogon came. RDC Chairman and Gov. Joey Salceda arrived here from Manila to preside over the meeting.

        Those absent were Governors Jesus Typoco of Camarines Norte, Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur, and Joseph Cua of Catanduanes.

        The council is composed of about 200 members—the six Bicol provincial governors, mayors of capital towns, the 14 lawmakers representing the congressional districts in the region, and representatives of regional offices of national government agencies, business sector and other groups identified as stakeholders in local development.

        They meet quarterly to address urgent local and regional concerns.

        Because of the conspicuous absence of the three governors and the urgent matters facing the council, RDC Chairman and Albay Gov. Joey Salceda stressed before the members and officials of the council that there is a need for harmony among stakeholders specifically the local politicians in every province to tackle head-on the region’s agenda for progress and development.

        Typhoon-prone Bicol is ranked fourth among the poorest regions in the country

        Although he sent a representative, sources said Camarines Norte Gov. Typoco snubbed the meeting allegedly because of his political differences with Daet Mayor Tito Sarion, a political ally of Rep. Liwayway Vinzon-Chato of the lone district of this province.

        During the presentation of the priority programs in Bicol, the RDC officials noted that Camarines Norte lagged behind in its development targets because of political differences among its local leaders.

        Camarines Norte is a gold-rich province and home of the Queen Formosa variety of pineapple where some 27,876.0 metric tons are being produced from its 2,144.34 hectares of farmland.

        The province is also rich in other metallic minerals with a total estimated reserve of about 144,558,392 metric tons.

        These metallic minerals are found in the municipalities of Jose Panganiban, Paracale, Labo, Capalonga, Talisay and Vinzons. Labo town has the highest estimated mineral reserve of 89,142,240 metric tons based on the record of the Bureau of Mines and Geo-Science of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Bicol.

        Despite these vast agricultural and mineral endowments, however, Camarines Norte has been noted to have the highest cases of child labor in Bicol due to poverty, according to data from the Department of Labor and Employment.

        “Bicol region suffered the worst in 2006 because of Reming”, RDC Chair Salceda said as he called for unity and harmony among the region’s leaders and policymakers.

        Under its Medium-Term Regional Development Plan (MTRDP), the Bicol RDC has been tasked with preparing development plans and investment programs to accelerate growth and development. It is also tasked with the monitoring and evaluation of ongoing projects.

        The RDC has recently approved the P4.187 billion for the 2009 annual investment program (AIP) of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Bicol.

        The DPWH program includes continuing projects for highways, bridges and flood control, and the construction, repair and rehabilitation of various infrastructures in the aftermath of the recent destructive typhoons that hit Bicol.