Legarda: PHL Budget Should Be Aligned with Sustainable Dev’t Goals

Senator Loren Legarda said that the national budget for next year and succeeding years, as well as the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), should be aligned with the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, said that the proposed P3.002-Trillion national budget for 2016 should be SDG-tagged to see if the national expenditure program (NEP) is aligned with the new set of global goals adopted by member-states of the United Nations.

“We should have prepared our NEP based on the SDGs. If we are able to climate-tag our budget so we see the programs on climate change adaptation and mitigation of each government agency, then we should also SDG-tag our budget so we can tell our people that the government’s expenditure program is aligned with the SDGs,” said Legarda.

“The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) should craft the PDP for the next administration based on the SDGs too,” she added.

In a privilege speech, the Senator said that the SDGs should also be an issue this coming elections because the next President and leaders of the nation should embrace these goals as part of their agenda.

“The SDGs are very impressive targets that, if we are able to achieve, would make our communities close to being ideal. But these goals require not only a lot of hard work but also collective action and acceptance of every leader and citizen to be part of change towards sustainable development,” Legarda said.

“The first challenge to us is to adopt these goals in the Philippine context. There should be a national framework on how the SDGs will be incorporated in our development agenda and should be translated to local plans,” she added.

The SDGs aim to guide nations on how they can achieve inclusive and sustainable development by achieving certain targets over the next 15 years. The 17 goals include: end all forms of poverty; end hunger and achieve food security and improved nutrition; ensure good health and well-being; inclusive and equitable quality education; achieve gender equality and empower women; ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation; reduce inequality within and among countries; make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable; responsible consumption and production; take urgent climate action; conserve and sustainably use marine resources; protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems; promote peaceful societies, provide access to justice for all and build strong institutions; and, strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize global partnership for sustainable development.