Philippines
The Philippines can legally issue the following type of rulings within the scope of the transparency framework: permanent establishment rulings.
The Philippines can legally issue the following type of rulings within the scope of the transparency framework: permanent establishment rulings.
The internal revenue allotment, or IRA, is a major aspect of intergovernmental relations in the Philippine government. The IRA brings alive many local government units (LGUs) that depend on the transfer up to 98% of their budget. The importance of the IRA is highlighted by the fact that it is the largest source of funding for many LGUs. At the same time, the central government has required certain mandatory expenditures to be funded out of the IRA. On the premise that the central government knows better where the IRA must be spent, the mandatory expenditures must contribute to the collective and overall societal growth of the country. Data show that economic growth has not happened where it was intended. Among provinces, IRA dependence remains significant. Poverty incidence is similar in provinces that have high IRA dependence. Thus, while the Philippines has achieved economic growth in general, growth has not spread in areas as desired. Provincial governments continue to generally have insufficient resources due in part to their own limited administrative capacities or limited resources, and the limited resources afforded them or the over-assigned expenditure responsibilities they must undertake.
The Philippines has placed a strong emphasis on achieving Universal Health Coverage. In recent years, earmarked funds from new alcohol and tobacco taxes have substantially increased government funds available for health. This additional funding offers great potential to improve access and health outcomes, as long as the money is well spent. An important pre-requisite for effective spending is a strong budgetary process for health. In terms of budget formulation and planning, the Philippines government has – at the national level – introduced a comprehensive package of public financial management reforms that apply across all sectors.
Chapter 5 describes the natural disaster risks facing Cebu (Metro Cebu). The chapter begins by examining the threat of natural disasters in Cebu, and how the metropolitan area can build greater resilience systematically and comprehensively through a variety of means. This chapter is divided into three sections: 1) the natural hazards that pose the greatest risk to Cebu are identified; 2) the current state of DRM policy in Cebu is assessed; and 3) governance issues of vertical and horizontal co-ordination are discussed.This chapter draws on the key findings of the OECD study “Green Growth in Cebu, Philippines” (OECD, 2017). It also benefitted from discussions held during the fifth Knowledge-Sharing Workshop, ‘Creating a Sustainable and Resilient Cebu’, that took place in Cebu (8-9 December, 2015).
The Philippines is improving its regulatory framework to improve the country’s business climate. Many activities conducted by the National Competitive Council have focused on reducing administrative burden and cutting red tape for businesses. Government agencies across the country are also making meaningful steps to improve databases and information systems to provide practical and timely information to its citizens. For example, the government has automised a number of its services through the use of one‑stop shops or “negosyo” (business) centres to simplify the business registration process. The government also offers programmes to increase small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) capacity to adhere to design and labelling requirements, including information and mentoring sessions organised specifically for SMEs.
The Philippines has traditionally adopted a “service delivery” approach to SME policy, providing services to help SMEs increase their competitiveness. However the country also pursues a secondary objective, which sees SME policy as a tool to decrease poverty and regional inequalities as part of its goal of building a predominantly middle-class society by 2040. As such, the Negosyo Centres function as its main policy tool, but interventions currently focus on the provision of microfinance and the development of entrepreneurship.
Le secteur du tourisme aux Philippines, dont la contribution au PIB est de 8.6 %, est devenu un moteur important du développement socio-économique au niveau local et national. En 2016, les recettes du tourisme ont atteint 2 420 milliards PHP, dont 2 100 milliards PHP (87 %) relèvent du tourisme interne et 313 milliards (13 %) du tourisme récepteur. Le tourisme constitue désormais un poste important du budget des ménages, avec des voyages internes représentant 19.8 % de leur consommation finale.
Chapter 4 examines governance strategies to tackle green growth implementation in the Province of Cebu. This chapter is structured into the following four sections: 1) Enhancing vertical and horizontal policy co-ordination between government bodies; 2) Financing urban green growth; 3) Optimising the impacts of international co-operation for urban green growth; and 4) Enhancing local governments’ capacities to undertake urban green growth.
Chapter 3 examines water security and its potential benefits for green growth in the Province of Cebu. This chapter is structured into the following four sections: 1) Water security issues in Metro Cebu; 2) Water supply and sanitation; 3) Urban resilience to floods; and 4) Water governance. This chapter benefited from discussions at the 5th OECD Knowledge-Sharing Workshop on Urban Green Growth in Dynamic Asia, held in Cebu on 9-10 December 2015 and supported by the OECD Knowledge Sharing Alliance.