Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028: A Briefing Document

This document provides a comprehensive review of the main themes and key takeaways from the Philippine
Development Plan 2023-2028 (PDP).
Overall, Vision: The PDP outlines a roadmap for the Philippines to become a prosperous, archipelagic, maritime
nation characterized by an inclusive, productive, sustainable, educated, and healthy society by 2040 (Ambisyon
Natin 2040).
Key Themes:
Human Development: The plan prioritizes health, education, and social protection. It aims to establish a Medical
Reserve Corps (MRC) for emergencies, improve TESDA certification rates to 94% by 2028, and strengthen food
security and nutrition programs like the National Feeding Program and Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita.
Livable Communities: The PDP emphasizes developing livable communities that offer equitable, inclusive, and
resilient opportunities. The focus is on integrated land use planning, increased access to green spaces, and
affordable and secure housing programs like Disiplina Village in Valenzuela City.
Revitalized Industry: The plan seeks to revitalize industry by promoting innovation, expanding domestic
production, and strengthening the defense industry. Key initiatives include executing the Harmonized National
Research and Development Agenda (HNRDA), leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies, and developing the blue
economy.
Reinvigorated Services: Recognizing the importance of the services sector, the plan aims to improve its growth
rate and labor productivity. Key areas for development include tourism, transportation, and digital connectivity.
Accelerated Climate Action and Disaster Resilience: The plan highlights the need to strengthen climate
change adaptation and disaster resilience, emphasizing Natural Capital Accounting (NCA), sustainable finance
mobilization, and legislative reforms like the Sustainable Forest Management Act.
Improved Infrastructure: The PDP emphasizes investments in transportation, digital connectivity, and water
resources infrastructure. Key targets include increasing passenger trips via rail in Metro Manila, achieving an
average download speed of 300 Mbps, and expanding access to sanitary landfill facilities.
Enhanced Peace and Security: The plan aims to improve peace and security by strengthening law enforcement,
promoting greater international cooperation, and developing a self-reliant defense force. This includes
strengthening police engagement with communities, increasing the capacity of security institutions, and pursuing
capacity and materiel upgrades for the AFP.
Good Governance and Rule of Law: The PDP recognizes the importance of good governance and the rule of
law. It aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the justice system, promote transparency and
accountability in government, and strengthen anti-corruption efforts. Key actions include expanding the
Katarungang Pambarangay system, pursuing human resources rationalization in the justice sector, and
collaborating with civil society organizations on environmental data collection.
Important Quotes:
Livable Communities: “As envisioned in the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2015–2028,
increasing green spaces at the city and barangay levels will enhance environmental quality, reduce urban heat,
promote biodiversity, and improve health and overall wellbeing.”
Revitalized Industry: “Recognizing the country’s geography, history, and culture, which suggest that more of
the nation’s wealth rests on its coastal and marine resources, DA, DTI, DENR, DOST, and other relevant
agencies, will emphasize and allocate the needed resources to harness the full potential of the blue economy.”
Enhanced Peace and Security: “Capacity and materiel upgrade will be pursued to achieve a minimum
deterrence capability of the AFP. Cooperative joint military and intelligence exercises with friends and allies will
be strengthened, while defense cooperation arrangements, such as the Mutual Defense Treaty and Visiting
Forces Agreements, will be maximized by involving other security institutions in the training exercises.”
Key Facts and Figures:
Target TESDA certification rate by 2028: 94%
Growth in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries GVA (target): 1.8-3.3% annually
Target gross expenditure on R&D as a proportion of GDP by 2028: 1.0%
Target average download speed by 2028: 300 Mbps
Target proportion of cities and municipalities served by sanitary landfill facilities by 2028: 50%
Target outstanding national government debt stock to GDP ratio by 2028: 48-53%
Implementation and Monitoring:
The PDP outlines a comprehensive implementation and monitoring framework, emphasizing collaboration
between government agencies, the private sector, and civil society. The plan will be monitored through a set of
indicators and targets, with regular progress reports and evaluations.
Goals of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028
The Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 outlines several goals across multiple sectors, focusing on
developing human capital, transforming production sectors, and creating an enabling environment for economic
and social transformation. Here's a numbered list of those goals and their descriptions:
1. Boost Health (Chapter 2): This goal aims to improve the health and well-being of Filipinos by addressing social
determinants of health, enabling healthy choices and behavior, improving access to quality and efficient
healthcare, and strengthening health systems. The plan highlights the importance of a whole-of-government and
whole-of-society approach to health, increasing health literacy, and ensuring communities, workplaces, and
schools support physical, mental, and social well-being for all.
2. Improve Education and Lifelong Learning (Chapter 2): This goal envisions Filipinos to be smart and innovative
with learning poverty substantially addressed. It emphasizes ensuring access to high-quality lifelong learning
opportunities that develop competencies and character qualities, allowing individuals to thrive in society and the
world of work. This includes enhancing early childhood care and development, developing catch-up programs to
address learning losses, ensuring access to quality learning resources, improving teacher competencies, and
strengthening school-based feeding programs.
3. Establish Livable Communities (Chapter 2): The goal is to create communities that support a strongly rooted,
comfortable, and secure life for Filipinos. This involves upgrading and planning human settlements to be
 equitable, inclusive, and resilient while promoting economic vitality. This will be achieved by improving the social
environment, environmental quality, and built environment, as well as promoting responsive governance.
4. Ensure Food Security and Proper Nutrition (Chapter 3): This goal aims to attain a sufficient and stable supply
of food commodities, expand access to affordable, safe, and nutritious food for consumers, and improve nutrition
across all ages. This objective focuses on reducing vulnerabilities related to food access and affordability and
promoting healthy dietary practices.
5. Strengthen Social Protection (Chapter 3): The objective here is to establish a universal, modern, and
integrated social protection system. It involves mitigating various types of risks, including individual and life cycle
risks, economic risks, risks from natural, health, climate, and human-induced hazards, and governance and
political risks. The plan emphasizes improving social protection programs to provide a safety net for vulnerable
populations and promote resilience against various shocks.
6. Increase Income-Earning Ability (Chapter 4): This goal focuses on improving employability and promoting
shared labor market governance. This involves developing skills, enhancing the business environment, and
strengthening social dialogue to create more and better job opportunities, leading to higher incomes and
improved living standards for Filipinos.
7. Modernize Agriculture and Agribusiness (Chapter 5): The objective is to transform the agriculture sector to
be more modern, productive, and resilient. This includes improving agricultural infrastructure, promoting
technology adoption, enhancing value chains, and strengthening market linkages to increase agricultural
productivity, farmers' incomes, and the sector's contribution to the overall economy.
8. Revitalize Industry (Chapter 6): This goal aims to enhance the competitiveness and productivity of the
Philippine industry. The plan focuses on expanding the domestic market and supplier base, promoting
industrialization through innovation, and enhancing inter-sectoral linkages to create a more vibrant and globally
competitive industrial sector. This includes promoting specific industrial clusters such as modern basic needs,
industrial, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, and technology, media, and telecommunications.
9. Reinvigorate Services (Chapter 7): The goal is to enhance the quality and competitiveness of the services
sector, creating more and better job opportunities. This includes promoting sustainable and resilient tourism,
developing competitive global business services, and fostering innovation in the creative industries.
10. Advance Research and Development, Technology, and Innovation (Chapter 8): The plan highlights the need
to enhance the country’s research and development (R&D) capabilities, promote technology adoption and
utilization, and accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship. This is crucial for driving economic growth, improving
productivity, and creating higher-value jobs.
11. Promote Trade and Investments (Chapter 9): This goal focuses on restoring, sustaining, and strengthening
the global position of Philippine export sectors and increasing investments to boost trade, skills upgrading, and
sustainability. The plan aims to attract more foreign direct investments, diversify export markets, and integrate
into global value chains.
12. Promote Competition and Improve Regulatory Efficiency (Chapter 10): The goal here is to create a level
playing field for businesses, reduce barriers to entry, and improve regulatory quality to foster a more competitive
and dynamic market. This includes diminishing anti-competitive practices, reducing the burden of regulation, and
promoting a whole-of-government approach to competition.
13. Ensure Macroeconomic Stability and Expand Inclusive and Innovative Finance (Chapter 11): The plan
focuses on ensuring sound fiscal management, improving the tax regime, broadening and deepening financial
inclusion, and ensuring financial sector health. It aims to maintain stable macroeconomic conditions while
promoting a vibrant and inclusive financial sector that supports economic growth and development.
14. Expand and Upgrade Infrastructure (Chapter 12): The infrastructure sector's goal is to "Build Better More",
focusing on seamless and inclusive connectivity, affordable and clean energy, water security, and climate and
disaster-resilient infrastructure. This includes expanding access to safe water supply and basic sanitation,
improving power and energy infrastructure, enhancing transport infrastructure and logistics services, and
promoting digital connectivity.
15. Ensure Peace and Security (Chapter 13): This objective emphasizes sustaining the protection and
development of conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable communities, promoting peaceful and inclusive societies,
and ensuring the safety and security of all citizens.
16. Enhance the Administration of Justice (Chapter 13): The plan aims to improve quality and efficiency in the
disposition of cases, increase access to justice, and promote a more responsive, accountable, and efficient
justice system.
17. Practice Good Governance and Improve Bureaucratic Efficiency (Chapter 14): This goal focuses on
deepening participatory governance, bolstering public accountability and integrity, rationalizing and
strengthening government functions, systems, and mechanisms, and supporting competent, motivated, agile,
and resilient public servants.
18. Accelerate Climate Action and Strengthen Disaster Resilience (Chapter 15): The plan outlines strategies to
increase climate and disaster risk resilience of communities and institutions, reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
and increase the adaptive capacity of ecosystems and communities.
These goals are interconnected and designed to work together to achieve the overall objective of economic and
social transformation for a more prosperous, inclusive, and resilient Philippines.