Duterte’s Ambisyon Natin 2040: Middle-class society for PH

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang has issued Executive Order (EO) No. 5 providing for the adoption of “Ambisyon Natin 2040”, a 25-year, long-term vision for development planning. The EO was signed Tuesday, October 11, by the authority of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The 25-year vision foresees a Philippines that is a “prosperous, predominantly middle-class society where no one is poor.” It also envisions Filipinos with “long and healthy lives”, being smart and innovative, and living in a “high-trust society”.

Under this long-term vision, government will aim to “triple real per capita incomes and eradicate hunger and poverty by 2040, if not sooner.”

A First Quarter 2016 Social Weather Stations survey showed that 46% of Filipinos rated themselves as poor. This is equivalent to roughly 10.5 million Filipino families who consider themselves poor. Self-rated poverty figures improved in all regions except Mindanao, where President Rodrigo Duterte comes from.

A World Bank study on employment and poverty also showed that while Filipinos are working hard, they remain poor. While the economy has been growing at 5%-6%, the created jobs are low-paying, resulting in underemployed workers.

In terms of chronic malnutrition, a national survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute showed that the situation in the Philippines is the worst in 10 years. 26.2% of children aged 0-2 were found to be suffering from chronic malnutrition.

In addition, the 4 medium-term Philippine Development Plans (PDPs) will be crafted and implemented until 2040 and shall be anchored on the Ambisyon Natin 2040 vision and goals. The EO said, the PDPs shall “ensure sustainability and consistency of strategies, policies, programs and projects across political administrations.”

All government plans, including those of government-owned or –controlled corporations, as well as local government units, shall be consistent with Ambisyon Nation 2040, the EO said.

Ambisyon Natin 2040 is also a product of a series of nationwide public consultations consisting of focus group discussions and a survey led by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). The consultations concluded with the following vision for Filipinos:

“In 2040, we will all enjoy a stable and comfortable lifestyle, secure in the knowledge that we have enough for our daily needs and unexpected expenses, that we can plan and prepare for our own and our children’s future. Our family lives together in a place of our own, and we have the freedom to go where we desire, protected and enabled by a clean, efficient and fair government.” – Rappler.com