Philippine Progress Report

Philippines Midterm Progress Report on the Millennium Development Goals

2007

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Philippines Midterm Progress Report on the Millennium Development Goals

FOREWORD

Malacañang Palace Manila

HE YEAR 2007 marks the halfway point in our commitment to achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, a pledge the Philippines made along with 191 member states of the United Nations when it signed the Millennium Declaration in September 2000. As we account for the Philippines performance in the achievement of the MDGs, let us step further back, and recall what we said in the First and Second Philippines Progress Reports on the MDGs. In those Reports, we said in part that “with the initiatives we have started, in partnership with all sectors of Philippine society, in relentlessly pursuing our development strategy, the government is optimistic that the Philippines can reach these goals and targets.” Having reflected this, it is proper that we should put the question to ourselves – What progress have we made in the quest to achieve the goals to which we honestly told the nation and the international community we are committed to? This Philippines Midterm Progress Report on the MDGs provides the answer to that question, i.e., we are on track with most of the goals though we lag behind with a few of these. Reporting on the progress of the MDGs comes at an auspicious time – the same time that I addressed the 14th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines and reported to the Filipino people the state of the nation. In that address, I reiterated my administration’s “vision for the Philippines to be counted as one of the rich nations within twenty years”, or twelve years from 2015. I pledged that “by then, poverty shall have been marginalized, and the marginalized raised to a robust middle class; and the hallmarks of a modern society shall have been achieved, where institutions are strong.” We will do this by putting national interests ahead of all other...