PHILIPPINE PROGRESS

ON MDGS: AN UPDATE
Mercedes B. Concepcion, PhD
National Scientist

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are part of the Millennium Declaration
by 189 countries, including 147 Heads of State, in September 2000. The goals and targets
are inter-related and should be viewed as a whole. Built on the outcomes of the international
conferences of the 1990s, the Millennium Declaration marked a strong commitment to the
right to development, to the eradication of the many dimensions of poverty, and to gender
equality and the empowerment of women. The Declaration mainstreams into the global
development agenda eight mutually reinforcing goals, to be achieved by 2015, that are
driving national development and international cooperation.

Published by the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines 2012

NAST Bulletin No. 2
2
The NAST’s Social Sciences Division proposed that the that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike,
theme of the Academy’s 32nd Annual Scientific Meeting will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.
on 14-15 July 2010 be: MDGs and Beyond: Are We Making Using the four indicators—net enrolment ratio based on
Progress? the national growth rate 6-11; net enrolment ratio based on
age-specific n; cohort survival rate and completion rate, the
The following paragraphs excerpted from the Proceedings likelihood of meeting the targets as reported by Bautista
of the 32nd ASM (NAST, 2010) highlight the country’s (NAST, 2010) is low. However, against the backdrop of
progress, if any, in meeting the MDGs and recommendations existing policies and programs, it may be possible to come
for accelerating progress. very close to the goal, if not realize it by 2015, provided
that the DepEd implements vigorously the Basic Education
Reform Agenda (BESRA). The potential of BESRA rests on
MDG 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and School-Based Management (SBM) which enables school-
Hunger and community-level stakeholders to use their empowerment
to chart the course and means of their progress towards
The targets are to halve, between 1990 and achieving better education outcomes. Unless BESRA is
2015, (a) the proportion of the population seen as the most promising guide to quality basic education,
whose income is less than one US dollar a day (now a potentially meaningful reform mission that could enable
adjusted to one US dollar and twenty-five cents), and (b) the Philippines to meet the MDG commitments will merely
the proportion who suffer from hunger. Since 2008, a be perceived as burdensome work.
third target was added, i.e., to achieve a full and productive
employment and decent work for all, including women and
young people. These targets are supported by nine indicators MDG 3: Promote Gender Equality and
linked to progress monitoring. The four indicators used Empower Women
by the Government to track efforts pertaining to poverty
and hunger are: (1) proportion of population with income Eliminating gender disparity in primary and
below the official poverty threshold; (2) the proportion of secondary education, preferably by 2005, and
population with income below the official food threshold in all levels of education by 2015 is the target of MDG 3.
(also referred to as subsistence threshold); (3) prevalence Over the last decade, there has been a marked improvement
of underweight children under 5 years of age; and (4) in the school participation rates of females compared to
proportion of households with per capita intake below males across the three levels of education and based on such
100 percent dietary energy requirement. Based on official indicators as simple literacy rate, functional literacy rate,
data as reported by Balisacan (NAST, 2010), the country enrollment figures, cohort survival rate, completion rate and
is broadly on its way to achieving MDG 1 despite the number of graduates in higher education.
increase of poverty in 2006. The probability of halving the
proportion of the population whose incomes are below the The gap in women’s participation across various
official poverty lines, between 1991 and 2015, is medium or professional fields has narrowed as well in recent years. In
average. So are the two indicators of hunger. The chance the 2008 Gender Gap Index Report prepared by the World
of achieving the target is high for the proportion of the Economic Forum, the Philippines placed sixth (6th) among
population whose incomes are below the food threshold. 130 countries, the same rank the country had in 2007 and
2006. The Report measures the size of the gender gap in
In February 2011, the National Statistical four critical areas of inequality between women and men
Coordination Board (NSCB) reported a refinement in the such as economic participation and opportunity, educational
methodology for estimating poverty as of 2009. The refined attainment, political empowerment and health and survival.
methodology did not change the definition of poverty The Philippines, one of two countries in Asia to have closed
but was meant to better measure the poor and to ensure the gender gap in both education and health is one of only
comparability over space and time. The chance of halving eleven in the world to have done so.
poverty between 1990 and 2015 using the 2009 poverty
estimates, declined but remains at medium. According to Sobritchea (NAST, 2010), the full
attainment of MDG 3 will depend on the extent to which
the Philippine Government, in collaboration with various
MDG 2: Achieve Universal Primary stakeholders, will be able to resolve the gender issues that
Education impede the capacity of females to perform their roles and
responsibilities to their families and to their communities.
Under this MDG, the target is to ensure
 3
MDG 4: Reduce Child Mortality Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) led to the decline globally
in the number of HIV positive cases and the number of
The general consensus reported by deaths among those so afflicted. Since 1984, 7,684 cases
Romualdez (NAST, 2010) is that the MDG were reported in the Philippines but one-half of these were
4 goal to reduce childhood mortality from its 1990 level is listed in the last three years. A shift in sexual transmission
likely to be reached as evident in the decline of different from heterosexual to homosexual and in the number of men
measures of childhood death such as infant and under-five and women aged 15-24 being infected with HIV was noted.
mortality rates. Nevertheless, closer examination of the
data, especially the disaggregation by population groups Given the increase in the number of HIV cases
and provinces, should alert the health sector to avoid seen in the past two years and more so in the first five
complacency. The most recent figures reveal that the rate months of 2010, the likelihood of the target for HIV/AIDS
of reduction of childhood deaths appears to be leveling being attained is very low. The local HIV response can be
off. The trend for neonatal deaths has actually leveled characterized by the low coverage of prevention programs
off, emphasizing the fact that the care of newborns is very which results in poor knowledge, low condom use among
closely related to the care of mothers at or around the period most-at-risk populations and low perception of risk among
of childbirth. Gross disparities in the rates of childhood the youth (Montoya based on Fantone, 2010).
deaths among population groups disclose that neonatal,
post-neonatal, infant and under-five mortality rates are MALARIA
inversely associated with education and income. Most of
these inequities can be accounted for by access to services. A marked decline in the overall malaria morbidity
and mortality occurred in the country suggesting that the
Philippines may be able to achieve the MDG 6 target for
MDG 5: Improve Maternal Health Care malaria. The second target of increasing insecticide-treated
bednets (ITN) coverage in children under 5 years of age,
Should the current trend continue, the the country’s progress cannot be accurately assessed due to
overall maternal mortality ratio (presently unavailability of baseline coverage rates. Access to accurate
estimated at 162 as measured by the 2006 diagnosis, appropriate treatment, effective prevention
Family Planning Survey), is forecast to decrease to 140 by of transmission and health education to improve health-
2015, 2.7 times the target of 52 (Romualdez, 2010). The seeking behavior need to be addressed with vigor(Montoya
contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) as a measure of access based on Belizario, 2010).
to reproductive health services is projected to increase from
the 50.7 percent in 2008 to about 60 percent by 2015—far TUBERCULOSIS
below the target of 80 percent. Thus, without extraordinary
effort in the health sector, attaining MDG 4 is virtually There is sufficient evidence that the Philippines can
impossible. achieve the targets as detection rates have been reached,
success rates exceeded and cure rates approaching targets,
The inequalities in outcomes between population using WHO indicators (Montoya based on Yu, 2010).
groups and among regions seen for child health care
are even more dramatic for maternal health indicators. As far as the MDG target on TB-related death rates
Maternal mortality ratios in economically advantaged is concerned, the Philippines will be able to achieve the
large metropolitan areas and among higher income groups target as long as WHO baseline indicators are followed.
approximate those of developed countries while ratios The prevalence based on surveys may be halved by 2015
in depressed areas and among the poor generally above but there is cause for concern because recent data reveal that
the national average of 162, are similar to those of least the incidence rates target may not be achieved.
developed countries.
Baseline targets for death rates and prevalence rates
as currently reported by NSCB need to be realigned to adhere
MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and to international standards set by WHO. The government,
Other Infectious Diseases stakeholders, partners and the National TB Program need to
redouble their efforts to achieve the MDG TB targets with
HIV/AIDS the Philippines probably missing the targets due to problems
of case reporting, supply chain for diagnostics and drug
Salvaña (2011) revealed that the discovery of supply, waning political support for the TB control program
protease inhibitors in the 1990s and the use of Highly Active and donor fatigue.
4
MDG 7: Ensure Environmental REFERENCES
Sustainability
NAST. 2010. MDGs and Beyond: Are We Making
MDG 7 targets include (1) integrating Progress? In Transactions of the National Academy of
the principles of sustainable development Science and Technology, vol. 32, No. 2.
into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of
environmental resources; (2) halve, by 2015, the proportion Balisacan, Arsenio M. 2010. MDG 1: Setting the Scores
without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic Right and Achieving the Targets. In Transactions of the
sanitation; and (3) by 2020, to have achieved a significant National Academy of Science and Technology, vol. 32, No.
improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum 2, pp. 217-235.
dwellers. The first has been integrated into the Medium-Term
Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) 2004-2010 with Bautista, Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon. 2010. Universal
“Philippine Agenda 21” as guiding document. However, Primary Education in the Philippines by 2015: An Impossible
Alcala and Azanza (NAST, 2010) have reservations on the Dream? In Transactions of the National Academy of Science
quality of available data. For the second, while the NSO and Techonology, Vol. 32, No.2, pp. 237-270.
data suggest that three-fourths of the population have
access to safe drinking water and to sanitation facilities, Sobritchea, Carolyn I. 2010. MDG 3 Promote Gender
the authors question the definitions used and coverage of Equality and Empower Women: An Assessment of Gains
the data. Harmonization and synchronization of programs and Remaining Challenges. In Transactions of the National
with other efforts has to be undertaken and an audit done on Academy of Science and Technology, Vo. 32, No. 2, pp.
these programs for transparency and efficiency. 271-293.

From 2000 to 2006, about 710,203 urban poor were Salvaña, Edsel Maurice. 2011. “Changing Epidemiology
to be found in the National Capital Region, Regions 1, 4a of Population at Risk of HIV.” Science Information Forum
and 4b, and 5. Data are lacking as to whether the urban on Changing Epidemiology of Population at Risk of HIV.
poor in these areas have been relocated and given security National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines.
of tenure, i.e., house and lot, house only or lot only. Traders Hotel, Pasay City. November 16, 2011.

Climate change has to be mainstreamed in the Romualdez, Alberto. 2010. Health MDGs: the Key to
Philippine Development Agenda especially for the poor Achieving Universal Health Care. In Transactions of the
whose plight is aggravated by degraded natural and man- National Academy of Science and Technology, Vol. 32, No.
made resource bases, giving rise to widespread poverty. 2, pp. 295-302.
The initiatives and achievement of the country in relation to
MDG goals and indicators can only be assessed if sufficient Montoya, Jaime C. 2010. MDG 6: Reduction of Cases
and reliable data are available. of TB, Malaria and HIV. In Transactions of the National
Academy of Science and Technology, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp.
For the latest MDG Watch compiled by the NSCB 303-332.
which is tasked with monitoring the country’s progress
toward meeting the MDG goals, please check their website Alcala, Angel C. and Rhodora V. Azanza. 2010. MDG
(http://www.ncsb.gov.ph/mdg). 7: Environmental Sustainability. In Transactions of the
National Academy of Science and Technology, Vol. 32, No.
2, pp. 333-357.

National Scientist Mercedes B. Concepcion is the chair of the Social Sciences Division and Vice President of NAST
Philippines.

The full copy of MDGs And Beyond: Are We Making Progress? is available at the NAST website or office:
(http://www.nast.ph; [email protected]).

The National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines, Level 3 Science Heritage Building, DOST Complex,
General Santos Ave., Bicutan, Taguig City 1631, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Cover image is from: http://www.jm.undp.org/millenium-development-goals/ja-progress-toward-the-mdgs.