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Photo
by Rey Baniquet-OPS/NIB
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President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said that halfway through the government’s
commitments under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
the Philippine economy has attained a new state of stability
and maturity with some of the strongest macroeconomic fundamentals
in 20 years.
The “ratio of Filipinos living in extreme poverty
has been drastically cut from 20.4 percent in 1990 to 10.2
percent in 2006,” she said at the launching of the
2007 MDG Report and the Philippines Midterm Progress Report
at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel last October
10.
The government started its commitments to the MDG in 2000
which ends in 2015.
While
expressing elation that poverty in the country is down,
the President admitted, however, that, “we have a
long way to go. But only through a strong economy can we
improve the plight of the poor, our education and our health.”
She
said that poverty reduction is her overarching goal and
that she intends to focus on attaining it during the remaining
three years of her term.
The
Chief Executive said she was heartened that of the 15 indicators,
the Philippines is doing well in 10 because it’s one
of the few countries where the MDGs are “really internalized
in the economic reforms reflected in our Medium-Term Development
Plan.”
She
pointed out that her immediate goal is to reduce the incidence
of poverty by half and meet all the country’s MDG
commitments by 2015.
“The
short answer to continue with economic growth and meeting
all the Millennium Development Goals is not just the 10
out of the 15 is summed up in three words: Invest, invest,
invest,” the President said.
“The
imperative now is to sustain growth by making long overdue
investments in education, healthcare and training and attract
more investments by fast tracking billions in new bridges,
roads and ports,” she added.
The
President said that as shown by the country’s MDG
report, the Philippines has made considerable progress,
particularly in poverty reduction, nutrition, reducing child
mortality, combating HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases,
access to safe drinking water and sanitary toilet facility.
The
MDGs are based on the United Nations Millennium Declaration
endorsed by all 192 UN member-states in 2000.
The
eight goals are halving the incidence of extreme poverty
and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting
gender equality and the empowerment of women, reducing child
mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS,
malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability,
and, developing a global partnership for development by
2015. (OPS)
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