SONA 2009 of PGMA
As I read the full text of PGMA State of the Nation Address (SONA) which happened last July 27, 2009. In her SONA, I identify areas related to Human Resource Management and how these areas can improve our quality of life.
1.)Microfinance
“Nakinabang ang pitong milyong entrepreneurs sa P165 billion na microfinance. Nakinabang ang 1,000 sa economic resiliency plan. Kasama natin ngayon ang isa sa kanila, si Gigi Gabiola. Dating household service worker sa Dubai, ngayon siya ay nagtatrabaho sa DOLE.”
Entrepreneurship/MSME Development. As of 2007, micro-, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) comprised 99.66% of the total establishments in the country. Given the significant role of MSMEs in the country’s development, the Arroyo Administration committed to provide credit, technology and marketing support for three million MSMEs and empower existing SMEs to generate additional employment through increased lending and promotion.
With the launching of the SME Development Plan under President Arroyo in 2004, the government implemented various SME development programs such as financing, marketing and promotion, human resource development, product development, and advocacy, integrated into one enterprise development cycle.
Government Finance Institutions (GFIs)/Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs). From 2001 to first quarter of 2009, around PhP165 billion in microfinance loans have been released to more than 6.9 million microfinance clients for their livelihood activities. This amount is about 46 times more than the PhP3.49 billion that was provided in 2001.
From 2004-2009, some 2.6 million new jobs have been created, surpassing already by about 30% the 2 million new jobs targeted through microfinance until 2010.
The Microfinance Lending Program for Government Employees. A total of PhP2.55 billion in loans was released to 183 government associations and cooperatives from 2007 to 2008.
2.) Health
“Mula noong 2001, Nanawagan tayo ng mas murang gamot. Nagbebenta na tayo ng mga gamot na kalahating presyo sa libu-libong Botika ng Bayan at Botika ng Barangay sa maraming dako ng bansa. Our efforts prodded the pharmaceutical companies to come up with low-cost generics and brands like RiteMed. I supported the tough version of the House of the Cheaper Medicine Law. I supported it over the weak version of my critics. The result: the drug companies volunteered to bring down drug prices, slashing by half the prices of 16 drugs.”
The Administration is focused on providing increased health services by (1) expanding the health insurance coverage under PhilHealth; (2) making available affordable, appropriate and quality medicines through the establishment of Botika ng Barangays/Botika ng Bayan (BnBs); and, (3) providing access to health services.
1. Expanded Health Insurance Coverage under PhilHealth
To protect and promote the health of the populace, particularly the poor when they require medical/hospital services, the President promoted the National Health Insurance Program. Depending on the program, financing for the members’ benefits come from the national government in partnership with other stakeholders like the local government units, employers and even the members themselves.
Around 79.56 million Filipinos or 86% of the 92 million population were enrolled as of May 2009, of which 18.32 million are indigents. PhilHealth’s other members consist of those in the employed sector (37.24 million beneficiaries); individually-paying members (14.86 million); non-paying members or the pensioners and retirees (700,000); and, the Overseas Workers (8.44 million Filipinos).
Premium collections from the members have increased steadily over the years, from PhP8.6B in 2000 to PhP25.6B in 2008. In the first quarter of 2009, premium collections reached almost PhP6 billion, 10% more than the collection in the same period from the previous year.
Benefit claims of the patients also increased substantially from PhP6.8 billion in 2000 to more than PhP18.2 billion in 2008, with the claims for drugs and medicines comprising the largest chunk of said claims. For the 1st Quarter of 2009, PhP4.5 billion has been released for the claims of the beneficiaries.
2. Access to Quality and Affordable Medicines
• Botika ng Barangay/Botika ng Bayan. To provide access to quality but very affordable medicines to the public, especially the poor, the Administration has some 13,498 Botika ng Barangay (BnB) outlets and 1,971 Botika ng Bayan outlets currently operational where low-priced medicines are made available to the public, particularly the poor.
Through the BnBs, drugs such as the anti-diarrhea Loperamide are available for only PhP1.05 against PhP4.10 in private drugstores, and the anti-diabetes Glibenclamide is available at just PhP0.78 against PhP8.90.
The Administration also launched the P100 Project in 2008 to support the campaign for cheaper medicines. Through this project, medicines will be sold for one hundred pesos (PhP100) or less in DOH-retained as well as in selected LGU hospitals.
• Cheaper Medicines Law. The President signed into law RA 9502 or the “Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008” to further bring down the cost of medicines and to bring the country closer to her 2001 SONA pledge of “universal access to essential medicines at half prices by 2010”. The law encourages more competition in the local market through parallel importation of cheaper but quality drugs and authorizes the President to set price ceilings on various drugs.
3.)EDUCATION
“Our educational system should make the Filipino fit not just for whatever jobs happen to be on offer today, but also for whatever economic challenge life will throw in their way….”
The vision of every Filipino family is to ensure that each child has the opportunity to get a high quality education that leads to becoming a whole person, a successful entrepreneur and a productive and responsible citizen. This family vision is also the vision of the Philippine Main Education Highway which addresses cross-cutting issues in the education sector including the mainstreaming of madrasah education.
1. Improving Basic Education. Even as the participation and retention rates, school performance and academic achievement of students in Basic Education have generally improved in the past nine (9) years, there is a continuing and marked need to significantly raise the levels of achievement. There is a tendency to backslide without strong presidential prodding.
2. Improving Higher Education. There is a need to:
• improve the capability of higher education institutions (HEIs), state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) to equip students with the required skills and competencies for national development and to prepare them for gainful employment or entrepreneurship;
• improve the competitiveness of graduates by ensuring quality education and competent faculty;
• develop capabilities in research to be at par with the best in the world;
• improve capabilities in science, mathematics and engineering through research and development;
• align the goals and programs of private HEIs, SUCs, and LUCs to best achieve national development goals; and
• continue with curricular reforms, leadership and management development program for college and university administrators, faculty development, conduct of scholastic aptitude test (SAT) after Grade 10, R&D and leveling the playing field.
3. Benchmarking the Basic Education Cycle with International Standards. To be at par with the 12-year basic education cycle implemented in almost all countries, benchmarking the first two years of college education has to be seriously considered to reform the present 10-year basic education program.
4. Strengthening the existing institutions in the development of higher level scientists and engineers. Continuing tasks include training high-level scientists and engineers in cutting edge technologies by HEIs, supporting the priority thrusts in science and technology as enunciated in the National Science Technology Plan: 2002-2020, enhancing human capital for science, technology and innovation (STI) for absorption into the world of work, strengthening ICT-based Education by providing sound policy and funding mechanisms, infusing more investments in S&T and engineering research in the identified Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development, and providing support to the operationalization of the National Science Complex and Technology Incubation Park in UP Diliman.
5. Goals for Improving Technical Vocational Education. The employability of those who undergo tech-voc training programs needs to be increased by developing their skills and competencies to meet the requirements of industry and retrain workers to respond to new technology or changes in industry processes. Workers must be enabled also to compete for overseas employment opportunities through the accreditation of technical vocational courses. There is likewise a need to continue with the harmonization of Tech-voc and Higher Education through the Ladderized Education Program (LEP), improvement of trainers’ qualification, and accreditation of tech-voc courses.
6. Financing Education. While increasingly significant budgets to the education agencies have been allocated, there is still a need for a more innovative approach in financing the education sector, especially in the higher education segment.
7. Improving Education in ARMM. Policies and guidelines that would harmonize and synchronize the ARMM Educational System with the National Education System at all levels are currently being reviewed. Some of these may require amendment of legislation from Congress.
8. Strengthening Academe-Industry Linkages. The need to improve the job-skills matching program and strengthen the initiatives for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry has been seriously noted. Current efforts of government agencies at coordinating with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) on this endeavor need to be sustained.
9. Internationalizing of Education (Education Plus Program). With the goal of positioning the country as an Education Center in the Asia Pacific, a technical working group has been formed composed of representatives from the government and private sectors. CHED is currently undertaking a survey on international linkages/partnerships/twinning programs of universities and colleges, the results of which should be followed through.
10.Developing a National Educational Research, Evaluation and Testing System (NERETS). With the aim of establishing an independent/autonomous, highly credible, and respectable national assessment and research agency for education, a technical working group has already been created, which has conducted a series of discussions and consultation with testing providers, specialists and other stakeholders. Findings and perspectives generated from these activities should establish the steps required to develop and implement the System.
Finally, it must be emphasized that education is among the major entitlements that enlarge and broaden human choice. While socioeconomic development broadens peoples' choice by increasing their individual resources, education forges the desire to do more for the country and others - because education builds self-esteem and self-expression, the very values that let people seek for community, for effective rights and democratization of such rights. For the above reasons, the Arroyo Administration is optimistic that the next Administration will see the wisdom of the Main Education Highway.
4.) OFW Benefits
“Meanwhile, we should make their sacrifices worthwhile. Dapat gumawa tayo ng mga mas malakas na paraan upang proteksyonan at palawak ang halaga ng kanilang pinagsikapang sweldo. That means stronger consumer protection for OFWs investing in property and products back home. Para sa kanila, pinapakilos natin ang Investors Protection Task Force….”
Labor Protection programs that will generate jobs and employment, protect the Filipino workers here and abroad as well as promote their welfare by ensuring that the terms and conditions of their work, such as wages, working hours and safety measures are humane and just;
Reintegration services for OFWs. With the establishment in 2007 of the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO), reintegration services for OFWs were institutionalized, making the effort more systematic and intensive in outreach. From 2007 to date alone, a total of 25,541 expatriate Filipino workers (EFW) and their families have been assisted through the Center. Services for EFWs include job search for local or overseas employment, issuance of certificates of eligibility for livelihood assistance, and legal services.
• Repatriation of almost 51,338 EFWs from 2001 to June 2009;
• Assistance to almost 500,000 EFWs on-site and one million EFWs/family members in the Philippines;
• Provision of education and training benefits to more than 1.54 million EFWs and their families; and
• Facilitation of enrolment of 320,000 informal sector workers in PhilHealth and SSS, the Philippine National Red Cross, Pag-ibig, and Accident Insurance through the DOLE’s Social Protection Program.
References:
http://coolbusteratyourservice.blogspot.com/2009/06/pgma-sona-2009-full-text.html
http://www.gov.ph/sona/sona2009/2009_SONA_TECHNICAL_REPORT.pdf
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