MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 54 STRENGTHENING THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS’ FUNCTION ON THE REVIEW AND ENDORSEMENT OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT’S BUDGET AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES February 02, 2004

[ MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 54, February 02, 2004 ]

STRENGTHENING THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS’ FUNCTION ON THE REVIEW AND ENDORSEMENT OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT’S BUDGET AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Pursuant to Executive Order No. 325 (series of 1996), all agency regional offices, state colleges and universities, and special development authorities are directed to:

1. Consult their respective Regional Development Councils (RDCs) in the formulation of their annual regional budgets; and
2. Provide feedback to RDCs on their final agency budgets and RDC-endorsed programs and projects.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) shall include the RDC budget review and endorsement of regional agency budgets in the annual National Budget Memorandum (NBM). The DBM shall allocate at least two months for the RDC budget review in the budget calendar. Furthermore, the DBM shall issue the NBM not later than the first week of March of each year and shall consider the attached schedule (Annex A of Joint RDC Resolution No. 4, series of 2003). The RDCs, on the other hand, shall prepare their respective work program for the regional budget review each year. This Memorandum Circular shall take effect immediately.DONEin the City of Manila, this 2nd day of February, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Four.