A number of Cabinet members, the Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Chairperson of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Chief Minister of Bangsamoro, the Secretary of Information and Communications Technology, the Chairman of the Subic–Clark Area Development Corporation, and the National President of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines are members of the NEDA Board.

One of the first acts of Quezon administration was to call for a special session of Congress to enact certain laws needed by the government.

The first act of the council was to survey and adopt plans for an effective utilization and conservation of our natural resources.

The council also undertook a study, in cooperation with the National Development Company and Metropolitan Water District, on the potential of waterpower resources which eventually led to the enactment of Commonwealth Act No.

51,[11] which allowed the President of the Philippines to reorganize the Executive Branch of Government as he sees fit within one year of its enactment.

[7][12] During his administration, President Carlos P. Garcia saw the need to create a new office in charge of the supervision of government corporations, which he called the National Development Authority.

[7] The need for an office in charge of national development was revived during the administration of President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

In his 1970 State of the Nation Address,[16] Marcos said the administrative machinery of government must be restructured and revitalized to meet the challenge of change and development.

Marcos, thereafter, crafted a government reorganization plan which included a National Economic Development Authority and submitted it to Congress for their approval.

[7] In 1972, the National Economic Development Authority (without the conjunction “and”) was created as the government's central planning body.

5 was issued by President Corazon C. Aquino, directing a government-wide reorganization to promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of public services.

The LEDAC serves as a consultative and advisory body to the President as the head of the NEDA and gives advice on certain programs and policies, which are essential to the realization of the goals of national development.

The Chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority and Deputy Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas are also members of the NEDA Board.

Previous members of the Board included: the Secretaries of Health, Foreign Affairs, and Agrarian Reform (per Memorandum Order No.

It provides strategic foresight, funding, capacity building, and policy coordination initiatives for a smarter and more innovative Philippines.

[30] Moreover, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) is attached to the NEDA for policy and program coordination or integration.