19/08/2016
DIGONG's 10-POINT SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
1. MACROECONOMIC POLICIES. To continue and maintain current macroeconomic policies, including fiscal, monetary, and trade policies.
2. TAX REFORM. To institute progressive tax reform and more effective tax collection, indexing taxes to inflation. A tax reform package will be submitted to Congress by September 2016.
3. COMPETITIVENESS AND EASE OF DOING BUSINESS. To increase competitiveness and the ease of doing business. This effort will draw upon successful models used to attract business to local cities (e.g. Davao) and pursue the relaxation of the Constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership, except as regards land ownership, in order to attract foreign direct investments.
4. INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING. To accelerate annual infrastructure spending to account for 5% of GDP, with Public-Private Partnerships playing a key role.
5. RURAL DEVELOPMENT. To promote rural and value chain development toward increasing agricultural and rural enterprise productivity and rural tourism.
6. LAND ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT. Ensure security of land tenure to encourage investments, and address bottlenecks in land management and titling agencies.
7. HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT. To invest in human capital development, including health and education systems, and match skills and training to meet the demand of businesses and the private sector.
8. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ARTS. To promote science, technology, and the creative arts to enhance innovation and creative capacity toward self-sustaining, inclusive development.
9. SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMS. To improve social protection programs, including the government's Conditional Cash Transfer program, to protect the poor against instability and economic shocks.
10. RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD AND REPRODUCTIVE LAW. Strengthen implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law to enable especially the poor couples to make informed choices on financial and family planning.
