On 10 April 2025, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 12145, known as the Economy, Planning, and Development Act. The new charter renames the former National Economic and Development Authority to Department of Economy, Planning, and Development.

Also, the charter strengthens the agency’s mandate, institutional independence, and capacity as the country’s primary policy, planning, coordinating, and monitoring arm of the executive branch of the government.

According to DEPDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, “The establishment of the DEPDev contributes to sound economic governance by bridging past and future development strategies, ultimately ensuring our upward development trajectory and that economic progress is sustained, remains resilient, and is beneficial to all Filipinos”.

The DEPDev can trace its roots to the National Economic Council, which the National Assembly established on December 23, 1935. Before Congress established the DEPDev, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) carried out its policy advisory and coordination functions through Executive Order (EO) No. 230, s. 1987, which designated the agency as a technical and research body providing recommendations and assistance to the NEDA Board chaired by the President.

The NEDA also serves as secretariat to high-level bodies such as the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, the National Innovation Council, the Economic Development Group, and the Regional Development Councils, among others. Given its expanding role, the amendment to the NEDA charter was first introduced in Congress in 2009.

Highlighting the earlier post of DEPDev Central Office, the transformation of NEDA into a full-fledged executive department, the DEPDev enables the agency to function more effectively, enhancing its ability and authority to ensure policy continuity, intensify its role in strengthening the capacities of national and local government agencies in planning and policymaking to ensure equitable access to economic opportunities, and guaranteeing coherence through long-term strategic planning and foresight.

To showcase this transition to the locators of the regional government center and local stakeholders, the DEPDev Cagayan Valley Region takes pride of its new signages installed at the façade and inside of the building with the Bagong Pilipinas logo, inside the premises, and at the main gate of the DEPDev compound. DEPDev-FAD