Cayetano calls for 5-year economic dev’t plan
FORMER Speaker and Taguig City Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano is calling for a five-year plan to boost local government.
This includes spending in growth areas around the country and the development needs to be spread more evenly among the regions.
“Kailangan nating baguhin yung local government at yung internal revenue allotment, at yung may potential katulad ninyo na nakapaligid sa Clark, madagdagan y’ung budget ng probinsya niyo ng five-year plan – yung regular plus yung extra – para makadiskarte kayo,” Cayetano in a statement.
The former Speaker said focusing on growth areas like Clark in Central Luzon and empowering adjacent cities such as Tarlac City with a five-year-plan involving the injection of additional money for targeted programs will help close the gap between urban and rural parts of the country.
Cayetano cited a similar program implemented among cities in Japan that provides money to local governments for development over five to six years, subject to stringent performance and impact assessments.
He said the five-year-plan he is suggesting should go towards developing health centers in all barangays in the country as well addressing the staffing needs of the new health centers, among other programs designed to bring development closer to people in the countryside.
Cayetano said all this development activity at the local government level should be guided by a “national minimum necessities program” that seeks to establish a standard for health, education, and other frontline government services in all towns and cities across the country.
“That’s a few things na kung papayagan niyo (that if you allow me to), I want to do and help you in the Senate. We envision a heart-to-heart partnership between the local and national government,” he said.
Cayetano, who is gunning for a Senate comeback on a faith-based and values-oriented policy agenda, said the national government should leverage technologies that can help towns and cities deliver services more effectively.
