BAGUIO CITY – Former senator and rehabilitation czar Panfilo ‘Ping’ M. Lacson prodded the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) to craft the country’s long-term development blueprint which will be passed on to future leaders of the nation to prevent their adherence to ‘patronage politics’ which has tainted the bureaucracy over the past several decades.
Lacson, who is a presidential aspirant for the May 2016 synchronized national elections, said it is bad for the country to have its development plan replaced every time a new set of leaders assume their respective posts because it ruins the continuity of development and growth, especially in the remote communities of the country.
“It is not good for the country to have its programs and projects changed every six years in order to suit the commitments of the new set of leaders or the promises of the ruling political party not only to their supporters but also to their bailiwicks,” Lacson stressed.
He pointed out the existence of a long-term development blueprint will contribute in producing corruption and ‘patronage politics’ in the bureaucracy because what the future leaders will have to do is simply adhere to the sequence of the crafted development plan for the allocation of the government’s meager resources.
According to him, the long-term development plan will also allow the implementation of balanced development in the over 42,000 barangays, 1600, municipalities, 120 cities, 80 provinces and 17 regions in the country instead of development being concentrated in areas that are dominated by allies of the ruling political party to the detriment of other areas that are in dire need of development projects but their local officials are not allied with the administration.
Lacson cited opportunities of corruption in the bureaucracy will be significantly lessened because the constant lobbying of projects for certain localities will also be eradicated considering that the type of projects, the appropriations and the scheduled implementation will be included in the blueprint and local officials will simply await their turn to be given their projects in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
He underscored the adherence of national and local officials to the crafting of the long-term development plan of the nation will be a giant step towards achieving political maturity for the next set of leaders and contributing to efforts in eradicating massive corruption in the bureaucracy which had resulted in the deprivation of Filipinos of the quality of services that they should be provided.
The former lawmaker and rehabilitation czar claimed the crafting of the country’s 50-year development plan will be one of his major platforms of government once he will be endorsed by the people in the grassroots level to be the country’s next president, saying through transparent and accountable governance coupled with true public service will be the key to the country’s realizing its goal of becoming one of the major economic tigers in the Asia-Pacific region.
He revealed ‘patronage politics’ will also be significantly reduced because friends, relatives, family members of future leaders will no longer have the chance to constantly lobby for the funding of their ‘pet projects’ for their political supporters since all projects will already be in the blueprint only for implementation. By Dexter A. See
