NEDA seeks alignment with PDP

THE NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) urged its partner institutions to align their programs with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016 to help the country achieve its goal of inclusive growth.

During the kick-off meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Philippine Country Program Confirmation, in Pasig City last week, NEDA Deputy Director-General Rolando G. Tungpalan brought up the updated PDP and its outcome indicators and said: “These two instruments are essential for development partners in aligning their operations with our country’s goal of attaining inclusive growth.”

Mr. Tungpalan also said that the ADB should assess the capability of implementing agencies to carry out programs or projects.

“Alignment is always easy to measure. What we also need to address is the issue of appropriateness of modality of institutional arrangements, which sometimes gets in the way. We have to address those risks, so that every program or project will contribute significantly to rapid and sustained economic growth and reduction of poverty in all its dimensions,” he said.

Under the updated PDP, the government has targets of 7.5%-8.5% economic growth, a 6.5%-6.7% unemployment rate and 18-20% poverty incidence by 2016. — AMM