NATIONAL ECONOMIC and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the new department that will replace NEDA will be tasked with preparing a long-term infrastructure master plan.
“In fact, the law now tasks us to produce the first long-term framework for the period 2025 to 2050,” Mr. Balisacan told reporters during a briefing last week.
NEDA will be reorganized into the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) after President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed Republic Act No. 1214 on April 10.
The law takes effect on April 27, 15 days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation last April 12.
Under the law, infrastructure planning will be guided by a “Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan” that spans multiple administrations.
Mr. Balisacan said previous multi-year master plans are often ignored in the course of changes of government.
“It will not be easy for any cabinet member like Secretary of Public Works or Secretary of Transportation to just ignore the presence of such a master plan,” Mr. Balisacan said.
He said this will raise the chances that good projects will be ultimately implemented.
The law will reconstitute the NEDA Board into the Economy and Development Council, chaired by the President.
The NEDA Board in March approved P70.6 billion worth of projects involving community development, irrigation and road infrastructure.
Nigel Paul C. Villarete, senior advisor at technical advisory group Libra Konsult, Inc. said similar long-term master plans are already in place but have not been given attention.
“We are not giving attention to long-term plans. For the longest time, NEDA categorized our planning as long-, medium-, or short-term, focusing on the five-year Medium-Term Development Plans, and allowing the Local Government Units to do their shorter-term plans,” he told BusinessWorld on Monday.
Mr. Villarete said long-term plans provide clear direction to guide shorter-term plans down the line.
However, Mr. Villarete noted that shorter-term plans tend to be favored as they coincide with the terms of political officials.
“The more we move NEDA away from political interference, the better it can focus on longer-term plans,” he added. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante
