Reorganizing the National Economic Development Authority into an independent planning government agency will enable the country to sufficiently cope with the current reform initiatives on the economy and development, according to Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda.
Salceda, an economist, said House Bill 8537 also known as the Neda Act, cites Article XII, Section 9 of the 1987 Constitution which specifically mandates Congress to pass a law that would convert Neda from an interim body into an independent economic planning agency.
Salceda said Neda is envisioned to formulate long-term, continuing, integrated and coordinated programs and policies for national development, a constitutional provision that was not given attention by Congress for 32 years.
“The current set-up of the Neda as the interim ‘independent planning agency’ is no longer adequate to cope with various reform initiatives on the economy and development,” he said.
The lawmaker said the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and Philippine Institute of Development Studies noted in separate studies that the government’s planning, policy-making, programming and budgeting processes had become fragmented, uncoordinated and often interrupted.
“The implementation of plans, programs, and policies has, oftentimes, been delayed and inefficient. Even the sensible policies and programs that address root causes of problems that have long-term impact often get disrupted, discontinued, or not given due attention,” he said.