The head of the economic planning agency needs to project the image of a leader of the national economic management team, not the image of a bystander.
There are a number of high government officials who by now should have been heard from in the on-going effort to get to the bottom of what is unquestionably the biggest scandal in the history of the Philippine government. One of them is the head of the recently-created Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev), which, I have contended, is not much more than a renamed NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority).
The people of this country have been waiting to hear from DepDev chief Dr. Arsenio Balisacan Jr. on the flood control scandal, which was set off by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with his “Mahiya naman Kayo” plea before Congress on July 28, 2025. But they have waited in vain. Secretary Balisacan has said nothing publicly on the matter. He has maintained a Sphinx-like posture during the last two months.
This is not how things should be. The Filipino people need to hear from the head of DepDev. Considering the breadth of its statutory mandate – the economy, planning and economic development – DepDev is the lead agency in the government’s economic management team and the Secretary of Economy, Planning and Development is the primus inter pares among the Philippine economy’s managers. The nation cannot not hear from the head of DepDev about a matter as shocking of the economy as the flood control scandal.
First, the economy. We need from Dr. Balisacan an assessment of the flood control scandal’s impact on the economies of the affected localities—on employment, incomes, agricultural production and local trading conditions – in the near term. Some localities have sustained extensive economic damage and other still cannot function properly because of persistent flooding. DepDev can do a better job of placing the local situations in context than the local government units (LGUs).
Next, the impact of the flood control scandal on the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028. In what ways and to what extent has the Plan been disrupted? What have been the areas of greatest negative impact? Can the losses and disruptions resulting from the scandal be compensated? Considering the great aspirations and expectations that are riding on the five-year blueprint, the nation needs to hear Dr. Balisacan’s thoughts on the current happenings.
Finally, the matter of national economic planning, a responsibility that the law has entrusted to DepDev. That responsibility is encompassed by the multi-year economic development blueprints that DepDev is expected to draw up. Like its predecessors, the current Philippine Development Plan has set accomplishment targets for the numerous sectors that compose the Philippine economy. Occurrences such as the massive misuse of infrastructure funds have a profound impact on the attainment prospects of the targets laid down by the planning blueprint. The infrastructure targets of Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 have definitely been negatively impacted by the infrastructure mess.
The underperformance of the Philippine economy over the decades arguably can be attributed to the absence of a strong consequential economic planning agency. At no time has need for such an institution been greater. The head of the economic planning agency needs to project the image of a leader of the national economic management team, not the image of a bystander. By being silent on in matters such as the current infrastructure scandal, the head of DepDev, Dr. Balisacan, is conducting himself like a bystander.
(llagasjessa@yahoo.com)
