CA CONFIRMS APPOINTMENT OF SEC. BALISACANSTATEMENT OF SECRETARY ARSENIO M. BALISACAN Hearing of the Commission on Appointments—Committee on Tourism and Economic Development 30 January 2013

MANILA–The Commission of Appointments (CA) confirmed the appointment of Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA Director-General Arsenio M. Balisacan today, February 6, 2013. Rep. Rex Gatchalian, Chairman of the Committee on Tourism and Economic and Development, gave a sponsorship speech to endorse the confirmation of the Secretary’s appointment in the presence of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile during a hearing.

On January 30, 2013, Sec. Balisacan already passed the CA in the committee-level. Attached below is his delivered statement to the committee.   

Good morning.

Allow me first to thank you all, esteemed members of the Commission on Appointments, for giving me this opportunity to be with you here today.

Sometime in 2012, when I was still leading a quiet life as dean of the UP School of Economics, I was invited to meet the President.  He was already familiar with my body of work on poverty, agriculture and agrarian development and during our conversation, I came to know that we shared similar views on a lot of social issues.  I personally heard his passion for instituting governance reforms with the end goal of attaining inclusive growth—where socioeconomic development is shared by all Filipinos regardless of social status. It was also clear to him that good governance should be felt especially by the poor through improved delivery of basic social services that would result in poverty reduction.  When the President asked if I would be willing to do my share as part of his Cabinet and as head of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), it was not hard for me to say yes. It is with humbling honor to join the government once more and push for the inclusive development of our country. It is in this light that I appear before the Commission on Appointments and humbly seek your confirmation of my designation as Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning and NEDA Director-General.

The President’s marching order for me was to address critical constraints to achieve rapid, sustained, and inclusive growth and development for our country.  The Aquino government’s roadmap, the Philippine Development Plan for 2011 to 2016 is well-crafted and evidence-based and we have already made significant gains in the first two years of its implementation. Over the recent quarters we have attained stable macroeconomic fundamentals, prudent fiscal discipline, manageable inflation and reduced debt and deficit.  We expect our full-year economic growth in 2012 to be among the strongest in the Asian region.  Investments in infrastructure, education and health have been at record levels, while key reforms pending for years in Congress were finally approved into law. 

Entering on the third year of the Plan’s implementation, we want these gains to be sustained and truly felt by the Filipino people.  We will continue to work on reforming policies, regulations and institutional arrangements and processes which inhibit efficiency, employment generation and innovations in the economy.

As the country’s socioeconomic planning and coordinating agency, NEDA has the mandate of overseeing that government agencies carry out their assigned tasks and deliver on their targets in support of the Plan. 

Under my leadership, we in NEDA will continue to tighten our mechanisms in order to strengthen the link between policies and investment programming, between national and regional plans, between continued economic growth and significant reduction of poverty, and between our national interests and our partners’ development priorities.  It is our thrust to ensure that resources are allocated to priority sectors and areas, and provide an informed basis, evidence if you will, to address development bottlenecks.  It is NEDA’s oversight function to steer the country’s economy toward rapid, sustainable and inclusive growth and poverty reduction.

These are tall orders indeed, but they can be done together with NEDA’s pool of competent technical professionals who have the utmost dedication to public service. Like the boom-bust cycle of our economy, NEDA has had its ups and downs but the agency has taken the bull by its horn, so to speak, and I am more than willing to lead it in ensuring its efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity as an organization.

Part of my commitment is to ensure the professional growth, competence and integrity of NEDA. This will make certain that NEDA remains effective in delivering our mandate and in seeing through the achievement of our development goals.  The President has entrusted me the responsibility of helping steer the economy for the greater good of the greater number of Filipinos. I hope I am worthy of your trust as well.

And on this note, Mr. Chairman, I now humbly and respectfully submit myself to questions. Thank you very much.

M.R. No. 2013-018                                                                                 

06 February 2013