2008 SPECIAL PHILIPPINES DEVELOPMENT FORUM
Closing Statement
Finance Secretary Gary B. Teves
Chairman, Philippines Development Forum
Makati City, August 20, 2008
Thank you, Bert, for that comprehensive summary. And to our development partners present here today, thank you for the very lively and fruitful discussion and your suggestions/ interventions.
We are especially grateful for your continued support for the implementation of the EVAT and to other government’s ongoing initiatives to help our poor countrymen cope with the higher food and fuel prices and sustain our economic growth.
You have manifested your support to our program to boost agricultural productivity called the FIELDS or Fertilizer, Irrigation and other rural infrastructure, Extension work and research, Loans, Dryers and other post harvest facilities, and Seeds, which was presented to you in detail by Secretary Art Yap.
We hope to see the same enthusiasm for our HEARTS program coined by Secretary Ralph Recto and presented by Secretary Nonoy Andaya earlier. HEARTS stands for the priority programs that would be funded by the R-VAT proceeds, namely: Health, Education, Agriculture, Roads, Technology, and Security.
I would like to add a third acronym which I hope is acceptable to you and I call it PADS or People Advancing Development and Success. Our development journey has not been easy and will continue to be challenging but it would have been and would be more difficult and stressful without everybody’s continued concern, support and friendship.
We agree that there is still so much to be done. We have presented to you our action plans and we welcome your additional inputs/suggestions. Among them is the proposal to discuss in our next PDF meeting on how we can wean away from subsidies, particularly on rice.
We encourage the continued monitoring of our progress or lack of it. We also need to continuously and consistently communicate our development efforts/success/strategies and adjustments/action plans and proposed improvements to the majority of our people.
Despite the current challenges, I am hopeful that we will emerge triumphant in our perseverance and intelligent efforts. As US industrialist Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” Indeed, our collective will to overcome obstacles and strong unity in pursuing development programs would ensure the attainment of our shared goal of a stronger and progressive Philippines.
Thank you and we hope to see you all again in our next PDF meeting.
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