10-POINT SOCIOECONOMIC AGENDA OF THE DUTERTE ADMINISTRATION

1. Continue and maintain current macroeconomic policies, including fiscal,

monetary, and trade policies.
2. Institute progressive tax reform and more effective tax collection, indexing
taxes to inflation.
A tax reform package will be submitted to Congress by September 2016.
3. Increase competitiveness and the ease of doing business. This effort will draw
upon successful models used to attract business to local cities
(e.g., Davao) and pursue the relaxation of the Constitutional restrictions on
foreign ownership, except as regards land ownership,
in order to attract foreign direct investment.
4. Accelerate annual infrastructure spending to account for 5% of GDP, with
Public-Private Partnerships playing a key role.
5. Promote rural and value chain development toward increasing agricultural and
rural enterprise productivity and rural tourism.
6. Ensure security of land tenure to encourage investments, and address
bottlenecks in land management and titling agencies.
7. Invest in human capital development, including health and education systems,
and match skills and training to meet the demand
of businesses and the private sector.
8. Promote science, technology, and the creative arts to enhance innovation and
creative capacity towards
self-sustaining, inclusive development.
9. Improve social protection programs, including the governments Conditional
Cash Transfer program, to protect the poor
against instability and economic shocks.
10. Strengthen implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive
Health Law to enable especially poor couples
to make informed choices on financial and family planning.

DUTERTE HEALTH AGENDA UNVEILED AT APEC

HEALTH LEADERS MEETING IN PERU
Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial leads the Philippine delegation at the 6th APEC High Level Meeting of
Health Ministers in Lima, Peru on August 21 and 22.
She joined other panelists who shared country actions aimed at addressing challenges in meeting the targets of
Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and expressing commitment for advancing the implementation of Healthy
Asia Pacific (HAP) 2020.
Secretary Ubial explained that the Duterte Health Agenda once finalized is aimed at eliminating disparities in health
outcomes especially among the poor and highly vulnerable populations. The over-all strategic thrust is bringing
together key stakeholders that will work towards improving access to health services at the same time greatly
reducing out-of-pocket costs. All for Health towards Health for All shall be the unifying battle cry, she added. The
Health Ministers expressed their overwhelming satisfaction and approval to the new Health Agenda.
The call of the meeting for whole government approach was articulated by Secretary Ubial with the recent inclusion of
Reproductive Health in the 10-Point Economic Agenda of the Duterte Administration.
The DOH chief and other officials shall continue their official visit in Havana, Cuba on August 23-26 to learn about
Cubas popular health system and have a fruitful exchange of information with health authorities. This special visit was
strongly endorsed by President Duterte who was impressed with Cubas successes in public health. The World Health
Organization (WHO) facilitated the official visit following President Dutertes pronouncements. It is expected that the
team will have the opportunity to visit health care and training institutions while in Cuba and meet with Cuban officials
to discuss health issues of bilateral interest.
Meanwhile, Secretary Ubial clarifies reports that the DOH budget for 2017 was slashed. The budget of the DOH is in
fact higher than the Defense budget for the first time in Philippine history. The DOH budget based on the 2016
General Appropriations Act (GAA) was Php122.63B while the proposed budget under the National Expenditure
Program (NEP) for 2017is Php90.9B. However, the subsidy for Premium Payment of Indigent Family and Senior
Citizens was included in the DOH budget in 2016 and this was separated from the proposed DOH budget in the NEP
2017. Thus, if we add the Philhealth budget, the DOH proposed 2017 budget will total to Php141.02B or an increase
of 15% actually.