Executive Order (EO) No. 5, Series of 2016, approved and adopted the country’s long-term vision entitled AmBisyon Natin 2040 as a guide for development planning. Section 3 of EO 5 states that the four medium-term Philippine Development Plans (PDPs) and RDPs of the respective regions to be crafted and implemented until 2040 shall be anchored on Ambisyon Nation 2040. The EV RDP 2023–2028 is the second RDP within the Ambisyon Natin 2040 horizon.    

To guide the country's progress toward its long-term vision for the remainder of the Plan period, the PDP and RDP will undergo a midterm update. The EV RDP Midterm Update 2023–2028 will take stock of and review the strategies, policies, targets, programs, and projects identified in the RDP, Regional Development Investment Program (RDIP), and Results Matrices (RM), updating them as necessary to ensure the achievement of the identified goals. 

The Regional Development Council VIII will spearhead the updating and subsequent approval of the EV RDP 2023–2028 Midterm Update and its companion documents, the RDIP and RM. The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development VIII will serve as the Regional Planning Secretariat, steering and coordinating the consultative process and preparation of the region’s RDP.