Marcos orders whole-of-gov't approach vs poverty
Published Jul 1, 2023 01:03 am
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered government agencies to "keep their eyes open" and employ the whole-of-government approach to address poverty.
*ANTI-POVERTY AGENDA—President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. presides over the first National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) En Banc Meeting under his Administration at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang on June 30, 2023. (Malacañang photo)*
Marcos said this during the first en banc meeting of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), which coincided with its 25th founding anniversary, at Malacañang on Friday, June 30. In his remarks, the President reminded the agencies engaged in providing social services to assist the needy in the country of the importance of coordination among the government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to combat the long-standing problem of poverty. "I think it all comes down to the same thing...marami tayo (many of us), like the NAPC, is a dedicated organization agency to look at the incidents of poverty and what are the things that can be done," he said. In a tweet, President Marcos said the whole-of-government approach would ensure effective social services for the people. "Binigyang-pansin natin ang pagsasaayos ng Anti-Poverty Action Agenda ng administrasyon para sa kapakanan ng mga kababayan nating lubos na nangangailangan (We would pay attention to ironing out our Anti-Poverty Action Agenda for the benefit of the people and those in need)," he said. "Sa pamamagitan ng whole-of-government approach, layunin nating matugunan ang kahirapan sa bansa (With this whole-of-government approach, we aim to address the poverty in the country)," he added. Meanwhile, during the meeting, Marcos said each government entity should know its functions and responsibilities to maximize the resources poured into helping indigents in communities, especially during crises. "Now, we have to differentiate. Kailangan pagsama-samahin natin (we need to consolidate), and that's why we have to start at a baseline," he said. “And we engage the other agencies. Huwag natin sasabihin, bigyan natin ng budget ‘yung NAPC, sila mag-implement niyan (Let's not just give the NAPC budget and let them implement),” he added. According to the Chief Executive, NAPC needs to continue to engage residents of depressed communities to determine what is really needed in those areas. “Yung mga ibang lugar na talagang hindi makabangon dahil wala, walang tulong, walang ano, walang kalsada, walang facilities, walang infrastructure. Identify natin ‘yun (mga lugar) para puntahan natin kung ano man ‘yung kailangan nila (We need to identify the areas that cannot prosper because they lack aid, roads, facilities, or infrastructure),” he said. “Hanapin natin kung saan talaga yung problematic na area and then engage natin lahat ng ibang departamento para the other departments (Let's identify the problematic areas and engage the other departments so they) can come in,” he added. During the meeting, NAPC lead convenor Lope Santos III told Marcos about the plans and activities of the Commission conducted in the past months, including its consultations with its members, the leagues of LGUs, national government agencies (NGAs), and other basic sectors. He added that their plans were anchored on the target defined in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP): to reduce poverty from 18.1 percent to 8.8 to 9 percent. "We immediately defined the urgent tasks at hand in accordance with the mandate of NAPC, which is a coordinating and advisory body of the agency," Santos said. "So, our urgent task, Mr. President, is to align all development plans (with the) Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, which constitutes the formulation and adoption of the National Anti-Poverty Action Agenda, and we expect to complete this, Mr. President, by September this year," he added. Santos said they plan to roll out the Local Poverty Reduction Action Plan starting in 2024 to be mainstreamed in all provincial development and fiscal framework plans and comprehensive development plans of LGUs, including in the respective annual investment plans. The NAPC official likewise shared that they have come up with the National Anti-Poverty Action Agenda (N3A), which is also aligned with the PDP 2023-2028 and focuses on the strategic direction and flagship programs to address multidimensional poverty concerns, social economic, ecological, and governance.
*ANTI-POVERTY AGENDA—President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. presides over the first National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) En Banc Meeting under his Administration at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang on June 30, 2023. (Malacañang photo)*
Marcos said this during the first en banc meeting of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), which coincided with its 25th founding anniversary, at Malacañang on Friday, June 30. In his remarks, the President reminded the agencies engaged in providing social services to assist the needy in the country of the importance of coordination among the government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to combat the long-standing problem of poverty. "I think it all comes down to the same thing...marami tayo (many of us), like the NAPC, is a dedicated organization agency to look at the incidents of poverty and what are the things that can be done," he said. In a tweet, President Marcos said the whole-of-government approach would ensure effective social services for the people. "Binigyang-pansin natin ang pagsasaayos ng Anti-Poverty Action Agenda ng administrasyon para sa kapakanan ng mga kababayan nating lubos na nangangailangan (We would pay attention to ironing out our Anti-Poverty Action Agenda for the benefit of the people and those in need)," he said. "Sa pamamagitan ng whole-of-government approach, layunin nating matugunan ang kahirapan sa bansa (With this whole-of-government approach, we aim to address the poverty in the country)," he added. Meanwhile, during the meeting, Marcos said each government entity should know its functions and responsibilities to maximize the resources poured into helping indigents in communities, especially during crises. "Now, we have to differentiate. Kailangan pagsama-samahin natin (we need to consolidate), and that's why we have to start at a baseline," he said. “And we engage the other agencies. Huwag natin sasabihin, bigyan natin ng budget ‘yung NAPC, sila mag-implement niyan (Let's not just give the NAPC budget and let them implement),” he added. According to the Chief Executive, NAPC needs to continue to engage residents of depressed communities to determine what is really needed in those areas. “Yung mga ibang lugar na talagang hindi makabangon dahil wala, walang tulong, walang ano, walang kalsada, walang facilities, walang infrastructure. Identify natin ‘yun (mga lugar) para puntahan natin kung ano man ‘yung kailangan nila (We need to identify the areas that cannot prosper because they lack aid, roads, facilities, or infrastructure),” he said. “Hanapin natin kung saan talaga yung problematic na area and then engage natin lahat ng ibang departamento para the other departments (Let's identify the problematic areas and engage the other departments so they) can come in,” he added. During the meeting, NAPC lead convenor Lope Santos III told Marcos about the plans and activities of the Commission conducted in the past months, including its consultations with its members, the leagues of LGUs, national government agencies (NGAs), and other basic sectors. He added that their plans were anchored on the target defined in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP): to reduce poverty from 18.1 percent to 8.8 to 9 percent. "We immediately defined the urgent tasks at hand in accordance with the mandate of NAPC, which is a coordinating and advisory body of the agency," Santos said. "So, our urgent task, Mr. President, is to align all development plans (with the) Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, which constitutes the formulation and adoption of the National Anti-Poverty Action Agenda, and we expect to complete this, Mr. President, by September this year," he added. Santos said they plan to roll out the Local Poverty Reduction Action Plan starting in 2024 to be mainstreamed in all provincial development and fiscal framework plans and comprehensive development plans of LGUs, including in the respective annual investment plans. The NAPC official likewise shared that they have come up with the National Anti-Poverty Action Agenda (N3A), which is also aligned with the PDP 2023-2028 and focuses on the strategic direction and flagship programs to address multidimensional poverty concerns, social economic, ecological, and governance.