DAVAO CITY—Stakeholders in this year’s Philippine Development Forum (PDF) have drawn up a priority list of action plans geared to put flesh into the goals of the new government’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda to sustain high growth, drastically reduce poverty and create enough job under the Duterte presidency.
These action plans include instituting tax administration and budget reforms, using modern technologies to speed up the implementation of projects, investing heavily in human capital and social protection, and accelerating spending on agriculture and transport infrastructure, especially in Mindanao.
Gathering for the first PDF under the Duterte administration, some 400 stakeholders reached consensus behind a series of policies and concerted actions that would flesh out the paramount objectives of the 10-point agenda to keep growth at 7 percent, create enough jobs, and liberate 1.5 million Filipinos from poverty annually over the next six years.
These groups tackled: 1) macroeconomic policies and tax reform; 2) peace and development initiatives in Mindanao; 3) infrastructure and competitiveness; 4) rural development; and 5) development of human capital, which include social protection programs for the poorest of the poor and the implementation of the reproductive health law.
On macroeconomic policies and tax reform, the Group recommended the urgent implementation of tax administration reforms and a stepped up anti-smuggling campaign complemented by improvements in trade facilitation; the passage of a comprehensive tax reform program that would shift the tax burden from the low- and middle-income groups to rich consumers; and a targeted transfer program under the 2018 national budget to cushion the impact of revenue-enhancing measures on the country’s most vulnerable sectors.
It also highlighted the need for the full implementation of the executive order on Freedom of Information, the fast-tracking of the implementation of major infrastructure projects through 24/7 construction work; improve the planning and evaluation of projects, including Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programs; provide support to local government units (LGUs) to capacitate them in generating resources and delivering basic services, and help decentralize development from urban to rural areas.
The Rural Development Group said these priorities should be undertaken: higher spending on agriculture infrastructure; improving easy credit access and financing; shifting the irrigation paradigm from huge and long-gestating mega projects to small and community-based projects; protecting the rights of farmers and enabling them to own, secure and develop their lands; promoting food-secure, productive and resilient agrarian reform communities; transforming the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) into an efficient, enhanced, effective and values-driven agency.
It also emphasized the need to keep communities safe, peaceful and orderly; improve local preparedness and resilience down to the barangay level; sustain transparency and accountability in LGUs; and build capacities for local economic development and explore new governance arrangements by continuing to hold dialogues on federalism as a tool of “deepening local autonomy and devolution.”
On human capital development, the report highlighted the need for improved access and quality of health care with Philhealth as the main revenue source for all health care facilities; conducting a critical review of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino or the conditional cash transfer program; creating models of intervention for non-Pantawid and near-poor households; building the capacities of the local government units (LGUs) in implementing social protection programs; and raise the quality of education through the implementation of the K to 12 curriculum, and make education “truly liberating, relevant and accessible to all.”
On infrastructure and competitiveness, the group recommended putting in place a modern. seamless and efficient mass transport system and enhance connectivity through a multimodal transport network using technologically advanced facilities and services; improve traffic decongestion; continue to pursue the PPP program; and develop rural roads; promoting the competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as LGUs; standardizing business permits and licenses; and cutting red tape.
It also recommended continuing environment sustainability and disaster risk reduction initiatives to create resilient communities; supporting industry competition; hastening countryside development through technological interventions; and develop science and technology facilities, among other major initiatives.
The report of the Mindanao Peace and Development Group underscored the need to speed up the peace process with all insurgent groups; bring socioeconomic development to conflict-affected areas; implement human resources and other development programs to prepare for a new Bangsamoro entity; physically integrate Mindanao through a better infrastructure network; generate investments and promote competitiveness to create jobs and encourage the development of MSMEs; support local industries to prepare for Asean integration; leverage policies on the role of the BIMP-EAGA area; and strengthen the Mindanao River Basin Organizations in protecting biodiversity areas.
The Breakout Group Reports were presented on the second and final day of the PDF plenary session.
This is the first time that the PDF has seen the active involvement of civil society groups, the business sector and academe in the discussions and crafting of actionable plans via the various “breakout sessions.”
The PDF, which is chaired by the Department of Finance (DOF), serves as the primary mechanism for facilitating policy dialogues among all stakeholders, including the national government and local government units (LGUs), business sector, the development partner community, the academe and civil society organization, on the Government’s development agenda.
The results of the discussions will be carried over as inputs to the new government’s Philippine Development Plan for 2017-2022, which is currently being completed by the National and Economic Development Authority (NEDA).
The 400 stakeholders who took part in the PDF held at the SMX Convention Center here were grouped into “breakout” sessions on the first day of the forum according to the major themes of President Duterte’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III earlier said the first PDF under the present administration will be the start of a string of “detailed, practicable and meaningful” annual fora—and possibly even smaller, intermittent—meetings on the Duterte watch, which are all geared to find ways on how to transform high growth into a truly inclusive one for all Filipinos.
Dominguez has said the Duterte presidency will strive to avoid a failure in governance by laying the ground over the next half-decade for the Philippines to achieve high-income status in a generation or by 2040.
He has expressed concern that unless the Duterte administration takes the lead with the other stakeholders in mounting concerted actions to attain inclusive growth and create enough jobs for the people, the Philippines might miss its only opportunity to become a high-income economy in a generation.
“By 2040, our demographic sweet spot will have passed. We will become an aging population unable to maintain high inclusive growth rates. With the dramatic change in our demographics, the probability is high that the Philippines will never become a rich economy with a negligible poverty rate. This will be a calamity inflicted by failure to govern well,” he said.
It was also here in Davao City that the then-incoming economic team of President Duterte convened the two-day Sulong Pilipinas workshop with the various sectors last June to draw up its 10-point socioeconomic agenda.
The last PDF formal meeting was held in February 2013, also in Davao City.
