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A First World vision 13 Nov. 2007 |
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Our principal strategy
for bringing the country to first world status is the Medium Term
Philippine Development Plan, 2004-2010, or MTPDP. We do not expect to be first world in six quick years, considering where we are coming from and the side shows we must deal with, but the first solid steps are set out in the development plan for all major sectors: Infrastructure; health, education; social, political and electoral reform; agriculture; public finance; etc. The basic task of the MTPDP, according to President Arroyo, is to fight poverty and build prosperity for the greatest number of Filipino people. At its launching, this aspiration for the greatest good was laid down as the 10-point agenda, and graphically expressed as Beat the Odds. Most of us know what each of the 10-points are. On the other hand, the playbook for beating the odds is the Medium Term Public Investment Program, or MTPIP, which provides the detailed roadmap and sets the measurable milestones towards the coherent and efficient execution of the MTPDP strategy. Included in the MTPIP are 2,466 infra and non-infra projects, with almost half of them distributed among the country’s newly-created five super regions, and the balance (1,081) implemented on a nationwide or inter-regional basis. One project, in support of a responsive foreign policy, is being carried out beyond our territorial boundaries. When the President launched the super region development strategy in her 2007 State-of-the-Nation Address, she highlighted three investment areas as high priority: 1. Infrastructure, which is the backbone of a modern economy 2. Social programs, to ensure that people get their rightful share in development; and, 3. Peace, to ensure that development shall be longlasting and felt by all people. The super regions are clustered on the basis of the natural competitive advantage of the sub-economic regions, to make their growth and development sustainable. Thus, North Luzon and Mindanao are our food production centers; Central Philippines is the tourism center; and Metro Manila and the industrial corridor in the Luzon Urban Beltway is the supply and logistics hub. Of some 683 infrastructure projects, we have 317 roads and bridges, 203 seaports, 46 airports, and 19 railways. This is literally a roadmap for effectively linking up the islands in our archipelago. When fully completed, production centers and markets will be seamlessly connected, and tourist destinations will be more accessible and affordable. Other infrastructure projects to directly support food production are 29 major and smaller irrigation projects, together with the thousands of farm-to-market roads we have programmed to build every year, over the next three years. A key concern in our MTPIP is energy reliability, which we are addressing by harnessing alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar power. Already, the Batanes Wind Diesel Hybrid System at Mt. Humhao, in Mahatao, Batan Island, Batanes, has been operating since August 2004, generating a total 2.771 MW. The Bangui Bay Wind Project Phase II in Ilocos Norte, is expected to provide an estimated annual power production of 24.6 GWh. With the dramatic rise in the cost of oil in the world market, the search for alternative and indigenous energy sources is even more pressing. Our investments in new and renewable energy are wellplaced. By 2010, when the President leaves office, the Philippines should be well on its way to achieving our vision to join the ranks of the first world, with the completion of most, if not all, of our infrastructure projects. This is part of the President’s legacy. |
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