RP to miss UN devt goals as crisis' effects deepen

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines will miss the deadline set by the United Nations for its development goals, indicating that it may be unable to halve poverty and enable universal education in six years. Manila may meet the UN’s Millennium Development Goals a year later than its 2015 deadline, the country’s economic planning body said. “There are still shortcomings, particularly in net employment rate, maternal mortality, and access to reproductive health care," Ralph Recto, National Economic and Development Authority director-general said. Besides citing “widely evident" disparities and inequalities across areas, population groups, and sectors, “setbacks are anticipated because of the global economic crisis," Recto said in his opening remarks at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Development Conference in Makati City on Monday. The crisis has affected about 100,000 workers in the country with 50,000 being laid off and another 50,000 who are going through shortened work periods, he said. An executive of multilateral Asian Development Bank (ADB) shared the same view. Slower expansion of the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) will impact its bid to meet the MDGs, which are set of priorities agreed upon by UN member countries to halve the world's poorest people, Arjun Thapan, ADB’s Southeast Asia director general said. Thapan warned that at three-percentage point drop in the country's economy will be catastrophic. Last year, the Philippine economy expanded d by 4.6 percent, lower than the 7.2-percent growth in 2007. In case, the economy slows down by such a rate, Thapan said it would mean about 10 million more undernourished Filipinos, over 56,000 more deaths of children under five years, and 2,000 more mothers dying due to childbirth. "The imperative of protecting expenditures on social development is clearly there. Governments need to grasp this firmly," Thapan said. Next: Manila proposes to use debt payments for its devt programs Manila proposes to use debt payments for its devt programs Recto said development partners could help the Philippines by increasing more Official Development Assistance (ODA). He also said the Philippines' proposal of Debt-for MDGs should be considered by lending countries as a way to achieve the UN goals. Under the proposal, money used for debt payments will be allotted for development programs and projects. Recto cited that early his year, Germany discussed with the Philippines and granted the option of a debt swap for the country's health sector program worth 25 million euros. Meanwhile, the United Nations, NEDA, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Spanish government launched the MDG-Fund (MDG-F) Joint Programme on Democratic Economic Governance. The $5.354 million-worth project dubbed "Enhancing Access to and Provision of Water Services with the Active Participation of the Poor" will be implemented in 242 waterless municipalities outside of Metro Manila in the next three years. "The programme will support policy reform and community-based initiatives to enhance the sustainable delivery of water to about 122,000 in 36 depressed communities in Cagayan, Bicol, and most of Mindanao," Recto said in his remarks at the MDG-F. This was the second time that the Philippines received funding from the Spanish government in support of the MDGs. - GMANews.TV