PHL needs long-term policies to achieve development goals – PBE

The Philippines needed to shift to long-term policies in order to achieve its United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Philippine Business for the Environment (PBE) said in a report.

In their report, PBE Executive Director Bonar Laureto explained that the Philippines had been changing regulations and policies with every change of administration.

"When they design projects, it takes a while to implement - three to four years. At the end of that fourth year, when you're on your way to implement it, things change... That's really terrible for business," said Laureto.

This hinders the Philippines from achieving its SDGs, which is composed of 17 major goals and 169 sub-targets.

The SDG focuses on poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, infrastructure, and reduced inequalities, among others.

It also looks at sustainability, responsible consumption and production, climate action, biodiversity, life on land, peace, and global partnership.

"We are not there yet," Laureto said, but noted that the some Philippine companies had incorporated the SDG in their operations.

"There are companies that have already been following the SDGs because it has been embedded in their core values and culture even before this talk about SDGs came out," he explained.

For its part, the Philippine government last year adopted the Ambisyon Natin 2040 program, the National Economic and Development Authority's 25-year long-term plan which seeks to eliminate poverty and hunger in the country. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA News