Sen. Win Gatchalian wants to institutionalize the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to be an independent economic and planning agency.
He believes that with this, NEDA’s economic development goals will be sustained for the long haul.
Gatchalian said that the “prioritization of the country’s development goals tends to vary depending on a sitting administration’s political commitments.”
NEDA was originally created by Presidential Decree No. 107 dated January 24, 1973, and subsequently reorganized by virtue of Executive Order No. 230 series of 1987.
Gatchalian’s Senate Bill 1060 seeks to strengthen the current setup of the agency by implementing continuing integrated and coordinated long, medium, and short-term development plans to achieve full employment towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth; equitable distribution of opportunities, income, and wealth; and increased productivity to raise the quality of life.
According to Gatchalian, the vision of the proposed measure is to instill a culture of planning in the formulation and implementation of the country’s economic and development policies that calls for the participation of public and private sectors at the national and sub-national levels.
As envisioned, NEDA will also enhance decentralization and strengthen the autonomy of units within various regions of the country to accelerate their economic and social growth and development.
The NEDA Board, which will be chaired by the President of the Republic, shall meet once every quarter or hold special meetings whenever there are urgent concerns or emergencies such as natural disasters, calamities, or other extraordinary circumstances which would affect the economy and national development.
Together with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and other relevant government oversight agencies, the NEDA Board shall also ensure that the annual and multi-year appropriations for programs and projects are aligned with the development strategies in the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) and Medium-Term Regional Development Plans (MTRDPs) as well as endorse to Congress the integrated development plans and programs which will serve as bases for the annual budget review and deliberation.