SPEECH
OF VICE PRESIDENT NOLI DE CASTRO
WELCOME STATEMENT
LAUNCH OF THE REGIONAL MDG
II REPORT
SEPTEMBER 7, 2005
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND MY
WARMEST GREETINGS TO ALL THE
DELEGATES IN THE LAUNCHING OF THE REGIONAL MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
II REPORT.
VP NOLI AT REGIONAL
MDG2 REPORT
LAUNCHING — Vice-President Noli ‘Kabayan’ De Castro welcomes delegates to the launching of
the Regional MDG II Report at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Ortigas, Pasig City yesterday. De Castro
lauded the ADB, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the UN
Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (UNESCAP) for
providing substantial and
meaningful assistance to the countries in Asia and the Pacific as they strive to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Listening to De Castro
are (from left): Ms. Ibu Erna
Vitolar, UN special ambassador
for millennium development goals to Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Van Geert Der
Linden, ADB vice-president for knowledge management
and sustainable development,
Mr. Kim Hak-Su,
undersecretary-general of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of UNESCAP, and Mr. Hafiz Pasha, UN assistant secretary general and UNDP regional director for Asia and the Pacific. (OVP
photo by Egay Montaña 9/7/05)
THIS REPORT, WHICH WILL BE
SUBMITTED TO THE UN GENERAL
ASSEMBLY HIGH-LEVEL MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT
TO BE HELD IN NEW YORK
IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS MONTH, IS CLEARLY A VERY IMPORTANT DOCUMENT. IT
NOT ONLY
PRESENTS THE REGION’S REPORT CARD REGARDING THE MDGS BUT ALSO SHOWS AN
ANALYSIS
AND ASSESSMENT OF THE CHALLENGES THAT THE REGION FACES AND PROPOSALS ON
CRITICAL ACTIONS TOWARD THEIR ACHIEVEMENT.
THE
MARGINALIZED AMONG US
EVERYDAY, WE GRAPPLE WITH
THE PROBLEMS OF THE PRESENT: POVERTY,
HUNGER, INJUSTICE, DESPAIR. WE ARE
DISTURBED BY THE HAVOC BROUGHT ABOUT
BY HURRICANE KATRINA ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PACIFIC.
ON OUR PART OF THE PLANET, WE ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT THE EQUALLY DISASTROUS IMPACT ON THE VULNERABLE SECTORS OF
UNMITIGATED
INCREASES IN THE PRICE OF OIL AND ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY.
WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN SHARE OF PROBLEMS.
YET WE REMAIN HOPEFUL
ABOUT THE FUTURE. WE HAVE ACCEPTED THE
CHALLENGE OF ACHIEVING THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN THE NEXT
DECADE.
TODAY, AS WE COME TOGETHER TO RENEW OUR COMMITMENT TO THE MDGS, WE MOVE
A STEP
CLOSER TO OUR COMMON ASPIRATIONS.
THE
MDG CHAMPIONS
WE COMMEND THE
MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTIONS,
PARTICULARLY THE ADB, UNDP AND UNESCAP, FOR PROVIDING SUBSTANTIAL AND
MEANINGFUL ASSISTANCE TO THE COUNTRIES IN THE ASIA
AND THE PACIFIC REGION IN THEIR EFFORTS TO MEET THE MDGS.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT MOST OF THESE INSTITUTIONS
HAVE IN FACT MADE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MDGS, PARTICULARLY THOSE
PERTAINING
TO POVERTY REDUCTION AND INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH, AS THE FOCUS
OF
THEIR OPERATIONS IN THE REGION. THEY ARE
ALSO HELPING THE COUNTRIES IN UNDERTAKING IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONAL AND
POLICY
REFORMS THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE IN PROVIDING THE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR
THE
ATTAINMENT OF THE MDGS.
THE PHILIPPINE EXPERIENCE
IN THE PHILIPPINES,
WE CONSIDER CITIES AND URBAN CENTERS AS HUBS OR STAGING POINTS TO
CREATE
RIPPLES OF DEVELOPMENT. THIS RIPPLING EFFECT TAKES SHAPE IN THREE
LEVELS: INTER-LOCAL, INTER-CITY, AND
REGIONAL-NATIONAL.
AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, WE
REMAIN STRONGLY COMMITTED TO THE
MDGS. WE REALIZE THE CRITICAL NEED TO
BRING ABOUT THESE VERY BASIC AND RUDIMENTARY IMPROVEMENTS IN LIVING
CONDITIONS,
WHICH REALLY JUST BARELY PUT MANY OF OUR PEOPLE AT THE THRESHOLD OF A
DECENT
LIFE. HOWEVER, WE ALSO APPRECIATE THAT
MASSIVE RESOURCES ARE REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE THEM. FOR
THE PHILIPPINES,
IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 2.8 TRILLION PESOS WILL BE NEEDED IN
YEAR 2002
TO 2015 TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE MDGS BY 2015. BUT
PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE FINANCIAL
RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS, WE
ARE AWARE THAT A CRITICAL FACTOR IN THE SUCCESS OF THESE EFFORTS IS THE
STEADFASTNESS OF THE COUNTRY’S LEADERSHIP IN PURSUING THE NEEDED
ACTIONS AND
POLICIES. OUR RESOURCES MAY BE MEAGER
BUT I WISH TO ASSURE YOU OF THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT’S UNWAVERING
COMMITMENT
TO PROVIDE THE SUITABLE AND ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR THE ATTAINMENT OF
THE
MDGS.
IT HAS BEEN TWO YEARS
SINCE THE INITIATION OF THE 12 MDG
LOCALIZATION PILOT CITIES PROGRAM IN THE PHILIPPINES.
AND SO FAR, WE HAVE SEVERAL COMPONENTS
ALREADY IN PLACE.
FIRST, WE PREPARED
DEVELOPMENT BASELINES AND POVERTY
PROFILES. THESE DATA PROVIDED US WITH
BASIC INFORMATION ON HOW BEST TO ADDRESS THE POVERTY PROBLEM OVER A
PERIOD OF
TIME, WHILE PRIORITIZING THE NEEDS OF THE POOREST SECTORS.
SECOND, WE MADE SURE THAT
MDG TARGETS ARE INCORPORATED IN
THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL PLANS AND PROGRAMS. WE ALSO GAVE EMPHASIS TO
HUMAN
RIGHTS AND GENDER STANDARDS IN LOCALIZING THE MDGS.
THIRD, WE ADOPTED THE
INTER-LOCALIZATION OF MDGS AS AN
INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY. WE
BUILT A CADRE OF LOCAL MDG CHAMPIONS
THROUGH VARIOUS PEER-TO-PEER
APPROACHES.
FOURTH, WE HAVE A
COMPONENT ON THE FORMATION OF
LEADERS-SUCCESSORS. WE RECOGNIZE THE
NEED FOR EFFECTIVE AND INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP IN REALIZING LOCAL MDGS.
FIFTH, WE PROMOTED
OWNERSHIP OF THE PROCESS AND COMMUNITY
PARTICIPATION THROUGH CREATIVE QUAD-MEDIA CAMPAIGN, INVOLVING BOTH
LOCAL AND
NATIONAL MEDIA. WE INSTITUTIONALIZED CITIZENS FEEDBACK IN THE
LOCALIZATION
PROCESS. WE ALSO DISSEMINATED AND SHARED
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE IN REALIZING MDGS.
AND SIXTH, WE BUILT THE
CAPACITIES OF LOCAL RESOURCE
INSTITUTIONS TO RESPOND TO LGU-LED REFORMS.
EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONS AND
MDGS
LADIES
AND GENTLEMEN, I CAN NOT
OVER-EMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONS IN ATTAINING THE MDGS.
OUR OWN EXPERIENCE IN THE
LOCALIZATION
PROJECT SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN
PUSHING THE
REFORM AGENDA FORWARD.
OUR SMALL SUCCESSES HAVE
INSPIRED US TO WORK HARDER.
IN THE PHILIPPINES,
WE HAVE A TERM FOR SHARED LABOR OR COLLABORATIVE EFFORT --- THE WORD IS
“BAYANIHAN.” BAYANIHAN
MEANS WORKING TOGETHER. BUT BAYANIHAN
ALSO COMES FROM THE WORD
“BAYANI”, OR HERO. PERHAPS, OUR
FOREFATHERS THOUGHT THAT THOSE WHO JOIN HANDS TO WORK FOR A COMMON GOAL
OUGHT
TO BE CALLED BAYANI OR HERO.
WE, TOO, HAVE MET A LOT OF
HEROES IN OUR LOCALIZATION
EXERCISE. THEY ARE LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS
WHO WORKED NOT FOR THEIR PERSONAL INTEREST, BUT FOR THE COMMON GOOD. LIKE MANY OF YOU PRESENT HERE TODAY.
I BELIEVE IN THESE HEROES
---AND THIS IS WHY I REMAIN
OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE.
INDEED, THE FUTURE IS
WITHIN OUR REACH.
LET US THEREFORE CONTINUE
TO WORK TOGETHER IN RESHAPING OUR
INSTITUTIONS. LET US STRENGTHEN REGIONAL COOPERATION
AND COLLABORATIVE
UNDERTAKINGS --- IN THE SPIRIT OF BAYANIHAN.
I
WISH TO CONGRATULATE THE ADB, UNDP, UNESCAP, AND
ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED IN THIS VERY SUCCESSFUL
UNDERTAKING.
THANK YOU AND GOOD DAY TO
ALL OF YOU.
©
Copyright
2005
Office of the Vice President (OVP)
Management Information Services
Division (MISD). All rights reserved.
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