NEDA, UNDP to launch 2014 Human Development Report

National Economic and Development Authority and

United Nations Development Programme

 National Launch and Press Conference

2014 Human Development Report (HDR)

Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience

Fifth Philippine Progress Report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Date: Wednesday, 20 August 2014

Time: 12.30 pm – 05.30 pm

Venue: Grand Ballroom A, Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria,

ADB Avenue corner Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City

The 2014 Human Development Report (HDR) highlights the need for both promoting people’s choices and protecting human development achievements. It takes the view that vulnerability threatens human development and, unless it is systematically addressed, progress will be neither equitable nor sustainable. This Report focuses on the people at greatest risk and on key underlying drivers of vulnerability. It analyzes structural causes – social marginalization, position in society and insufficient public services – and pays attention to the different vulnerabilities faced at different stages of the life cycle. 

 

The 2014 Report also identifies measures essential to yield robust and sustainable human progress in the midst of natural disasters and socio-economic shocks and risks. It highlights on multidimensional approaches in building resilience across sectors and in deepening collective action to reduce vulnerabilities and improve human development.

An updated Human Development Index (HDI) with rankings of 187 countries is also released in the 2014 Report. The HDI measures progress in the major elements of human development - life expectancy, education and income. It shifts measurement of progress from national income accounting to the people-centered variables of human development.  

What have been the achievements of the Philippines in terms of human development? How did the Philippines fare against other countries?   

The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Country Reports, on the other hand, are considered as one of the best instruments for obtaining MDG evidence from the ground, extracting lessons learnt and maintaining momentum towards the MDGs. They represent an unbroken tradition of reporting from the ground - the first such report originated in 2001.

With 2015 fast approaching, the Philippines is faced with the twin tasks of making as much progress as possible on the MDGs, and articulating the post-2015 development priorities that would, inter alia, build upon the results of the Philippine experience with the MDGs. The next round of MDG reports (from 2013 onwards) should therefore help motivate a final push for the MDGs, while also contributing to the framing of the post-2015 development agenda.

The Philippine Government has prepared four national progress reports on the MDGs which were released in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2010. These reports presented the progress and gaps in achieving the MDGs and identified challenges that need to be addressed to fast track its achievement. The reports have become instruments in advocating the MDGs to various stakeholders and in mobilizing support for programs and projects needed to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

The Fifth Country Report aims to provide a brief reflection on the totality of the Philippine experience with the MDGs, including identification of the unfinished business that remains. The focus is on the four areas where the Philippines is lagging behind or challenged, in terms of attaining the 2015 targets, namely: poverty reduction, achieving universal primary education, improving maternal health and combating HIV and AIDS. Emerging priorities are also discussed.

The HDR is an editorially independent publication of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).Further information can be found at hdr.undp.org

The Philippines Fifth Progress Report on the Millennium Development Goals is a publication of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), with the support of UNDP.

More Illegal Foreign Workers Caught, TUCP Urges Senate and House to Begin Probe

With the arrest of 52 more foreign workers allegedly working without valid working permits in Davao City last week, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urges the Senate and the House of Representatives to act on their pending resolutions calling for a probe in aid of legislation on the matter.

“There is indeed a clear, continuing and growing violation of our domestic laws. The increasing incidence of migrants working in the country without necessary government working permits and without fulfilling other requirements for alien workers has very serious adverse implications not only in the local construction industry, fishing, mining and other industries, but also in the current employment and underemployment situation in the country. This further undermines the job security in the country, as they compete with the already limited jobs generated for the Filipinos in our homeland,” TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

For not having valid working permits, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) rounded up last week 50 Chinese, one British and one Australian working in the construction of coal-fired power plant Therma South Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation.

There is also a need to investigate Aboitiz Power Corporation on how were they able to hire the foreigners amid the existence of the law.

In December last year, the BI detained and deported more than 200 foreign workers working in construction sites in Bataan and Batangas provinces after they were discovered to have without working permit.

But on one hand, Tanjusay stressed that the probe, if ever, will also benefit migrant workers in terms of labor standards and working conditions. Illegal migrant workers, he explained, are vulnerable to violation and exploitation of their basic rights as workers as they cannot be provided protection by our laws.

“They are susceptible to being abused for reasons such as their lack of capacity to speak and understand the Filipino language and other exploitative working conditions such as unjust compensation given to them. They should enjoy the freedom from this worst form of modern-day slavery,” Tanjusay said.

Senator Miriam-Defensor Santiago filed Senate Resolution 288 in December 2013 and TUCP Party-list Rep. Raymond Mendoza filed House Resolution 974 on February 2014 to conduct an inquiry aid of legislation on the said matter but neither happened.

Philippine unemployment rates have remained static on the average of 7% the past years. According to the April 2014 Labor Force Survey, the unemployment rate was at 7.0% or 2.924 Million of the total labor force of 38,172,006, excluding the typhoon Yolanda stricken areas while 18.2% or 7.0 Million were underemployed, and about 36.9% or 1.078 Million of the unemployed are were college undergraduates and graduates.

The World Bank, through its Philippine Development Report (PDR) released in September 2013, estimates that about 10 million good jobs are needed to be generated per year which includes jobs for about three (3) million people who are unemployed and seven (7) million who are underemployed, and that the government also needs to create employment for another 1.15 million new entrants to the labor force every year from 2013 to 2016.

On the average, the government can only generate about 240,000 new employment opportunities annually which leave most job-seekers with no choice but to either seek employment abroad, remain unemployed, go back to school, or rely on financial support from employed family members for the time being.

“We clearly reiterate that TUCP is not against the entry of foreign workers in the country, but of the adverse impact on our very own workers who are being deprived of potential employment and livelihood opportunities,” Tanjusay added.

Foreign nationals must go through the due process legally mandated by the laws. Under the Department Order No. 12 (Series of 2001) known as the Omnibus Guidelines for the Issuance of Employment Permits of the Department of Labor and Employment, all foreign nationals seeking employment in the Philippines are mandated to apply for an Alien Employment Permit (AEP).

DOLE Order No. 12 states that “an AEP shall be issued based on the following: (i) compliance by the applicant employer of the foreign national with the substantive and documentary requirements; (ii) determination of the DOLE Secretary that there is no Filipino national who is competent, able and willing to do the job for which the services of the applicant is desired; and (iii) assessment of the DOLE Secretary that the employment of the foreign national will redound to national benefit. 

Reference:

Alan Tanjusay @ +63.906.410.2134

Spokesman, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines  

PAGASA is MBC's fourth top-performing government agency

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA, one of the agencies under the Department of Science and Technology, is one of the top 5 best performing government agencies and offices in the country, according to a survey by the Makati Business Club (MBC).

This was announced in a press statement issued by the MBC last August 11, 2014.

MBC’s Second Semester Executive Outlook Survey, conducted from July 1-25, 2014, rated the performance of 62 government agencies and offices for the period July 2013-July 2014. Out of these 62 agencies, 43 garnered positive net satisfaction ratings from MBC members composed of senior business executives from the Philippines’ largest corporations. 

PAGASA joins this list of top performers for the first time, posting a score of 72.3 to claim the fourth spot overall.  Of those surveyed, 84.6 percent said they were satisfied with the weather bureau’s performance while 12.3 percent claimed they were not satisfied.

MBC cited the country’s official weather bureau in particular, for its improvement in disseminating accurate weather forecasts to the public.

PAGASA was among those who debuted in the business scorecard in impressive fashion.

The circle of 5 best performing government agencies also includes the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas which is the frontrunner in the list, Department of Tourism which ranks second, Philippine Economic Zone Authority which ranks third, and the Securities and Exchange Commission on fifth spot.

Rounding up the top 10 list are the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Health, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Department of Finance, and the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Founded in 1981, MBC is committed in the promotion of the business sector’s role in national development and in addressing social and economic issues affecting the Philippines.  (S&T Media Service) 

Vertical veggie garden with fish tank

Just a small space measuring 1 meter x 2. 5 meters with plenty of sunlight is enough for you to raise your fish and grow your veggies too.  

This system for farming fish and plants together, called aquaponics, was featured in the recently held National Science and Technology Week (NSTW).  

The fish waste provides the nutrients for the plants, while the plants filter the water for the fish.  

A pump is used to circulate the water from the fish tank (blue container) into the series of tubes where the plants are contained and back into the fish tank.   

The setup shown is best suited for raising tilapia, and other freshwater fish, and growing leafy vegetables such as pechay, lettuce, and kangkong. For more details call S&T Media Service at (02) 837-7520.

Sci Tech magazine of DOST now in electronic version

S&T Post, the Department of Science and Technology-Science and Technology Information Institute’s (DOST-STII) quarterly publication, is now an e-Magazine downloadable in iPhones and iPods via Apple Newsstand.

This breakthrough development for the country’s premier science department was revealed during the S&T Post e-Magazine launching last July 26, 2014 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The launch, dubbed “Looking Back and Moving Forward,” was part of the activities lined up by DOST for its National Science and Technology Week held from July 24-28, 2014.

Aside from laymanized news and features about DOST’s programs, groundbreaking technologies and services whose applications are multi-sectoral, the publication also contains interviews on the country’s top science experts, interesting foreign news articles on science and technology (S&T), and relevant book and movie reviews.

An electronic version of the magazine was developed to make it accessible to a wider segment of the population and generate more interest in S&T especially among the country’s youth who will someday sustain national projects and activities in science.

“This e-Magazine is a breakthrough for us,” enthused DOST Asst. Secretary Raymund E. Liboro during the launch. “This is the first time we’ve done something like this – to put our articles in a new format such as an e-Magazine.”

According to Neil Everett B. Elpusan, business development manager for mobile apps of Megamobile Inc, media consumption behavior has changed. Megamobile Inc., a mobile content and applications developer, is the creator of the S&T Post e-Magazine.

“In 2000, 2 million people accessed the Internet. To date, there are about 36.7 million online users in the Philippines,” Elpusan said.
Revealing more about the current digital landscape in the Philippines, Elpusan added that “30 million are active Facebook users and there are about 100 million Filipinos on mobile device. Eighty-one percent are below 30 years old.”

Of those who use mobile devices, he added that 14 percent use them while on commute.

Dr. Aristotle P. Carandang, S&T Post executive editor and chief of the Communication Resources and Production Division of STII, encouraged students attending the launch to check out the S&T Post e-Magazine to update themselves on S&T developments.

In particular, Dr. Carandang mentioned the Book and Movie Review sections as the newest additions to the magazine, and encouraged them to contribute their own reviews and other science articles for succeeding issues of S&T Post whose readership includes the DOST community, the local science community, academe and policymakers.

At present, DOST-STII and Megamobile Inc. are working for the inclusion of video materials in the e-Magazine.

This new electronic format is the latest in a series of transformations underwent by S&T Post since its debut in May 1983 as National Science and Technology Authority (NSTA) Post in newsprint. In 1989, NSTA Post became S&T Post.  The magazine became smaller in 1993, started using book paper and putting color on its front page in 2000, changing its masthead several times, and assuming a magazine format in 2003, among others.

Though the quarterly publication now has an electronic version, its print version will still be published. (For those interested to contribute to S&T Post’s Book and Movie Review sections, please call 837-2191 local  107.)   (S&T Media Service).