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Part III
COMPREHENSIVE
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE
The goal of the government is to win the battle against poverty within the decade and bring prosperity within reach of every Filipino in the 21st century. It is crucial for government efforts to carry a social bias as a balance to economic growth. This requires a significant increase in human capital investments, especially in education, training, and health. Government efforts will carry a social bias as a balance to economic growth. Underlying this social bias are five core strategies: (a) asset reform program or the redistribution of physical and resource assets, particularly land and credit; (b) human development services, particularly basic education, health, shelter, water, and electricity; (c) social protection of the poorest and most vulnerable sectors and communities through social welfare and assistance, local safety nets and social security and insurance; (d) participation of the poor in governance; and (e) security and protection against violence, including in the home.
The government will continue to play a meaningful role in providing quality basic education and health care. Particular attention will be given to expanding the access of low-income groups to such investments. To reach out-of-school youth, nonformal education, along with vocational and technical training, will be expanded. To attain all these, a significant increase in human capital investments is required.
The housing and shelter needs of the poor shall be addressed through socialized housing and community mortgage programs based on sustainable housing finance so that gains from human capital investments can be realized. Meanwhile, the needs of the vulnerable groups require targeted social protection programs.
The ability of the government to implement poverty alleviation and broad-based development is constrained by a rapidly growing population. In this connection, a population management program based on sound reproductive health for women, men, and adolescents and freedom to choose consistent with people’s cultural and religious beliefs from a menu of family planning services is in place. Access to family planning services by the poor is guaranteed.
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