Six effective ways that PNoy can use the DAP funds (Part 1)

Last week, in a nationally broadcasted speech, President Noynoy Aquino continued to defend the use of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) funds which came from savings of various government agencies. I agree with President Aquino in the sense that by using the DAP funds, rapid economic growth was felt in our country and this is the reason why we continue to receive investment ratings upgrades from various international agencies. We should also praise our government as it has been more careful right now in spending our hard-earned taxpayers’ money that is why there are now savings in our government. With regard to whether the disbursement of DAP funds are legal or not, we leave it up to the Supreme Court (SC) to decide on this issue. The important thing to look at now is whether or not the DAP funds were used effectively and did not go to several bogus NGOs like what happened in the Pork Barrel or PDAF funds.

 

Now, assuming that the SC decides favorably on the DAP funds, here are some areas and issues that President Aquino may want to consider putting the billions of DAP funds:

 

1.) Improve agriculture and the plight of our farmers

 

One major problem that our country continues to face yearly is the inability for us to become rice sufficient that is why up until now we continue to import rice from Vietnam and Thailand. This importation as we have found out recently has also led to several corrupt practices done by previous National Food Authority administrators but that is a different story altogether. The DAP funds can be used to provide adequate irrigation facilities all over the country so more and more of our farms will no longer be dependent on rain water especially now that due to climate change our weather patterns have become unpredictable. Aside from this, government can also start to invest in developing drying facilities that our farmers can use so that we no longer see farmers drying up their palay along the road. Finally, our government may want to also to use the DAP funds to create a micro-insurance facility for our farmers who are regularly hit by calamities. For example, recent typhoons in Nueva Ecija have destroyed thousands of hectares and this has led many farmers to again borrow money from loan sharks so that they will be able to plant again. This kind of system has led many more of our farmers to be mired in poverty since they can no longer pay the loans that they have incurred.

 

2.) Decongest our cities by improving our mass transportation system

 

Recent studies have shown that our country loses billions of pesos every year due to the growing traffic problem in our urban areas. One solution is to bring more development to nearby rural areas so that decongestion will happen but the major problem here is the lack of efficient mass transportation systems that can easily transport people from one place to the other. Imagine if our train system would be able to efficiently bring people from Laguna to Bulacan in less than 30 minutes, this can easily bring development and growth to the provinces of Bulacan and Laguna since people in their area would no longer need to relocate to Metro Manila just to be able to find decent jobs. Aside from the time saved, productivity would also be improved, urban areas would now be decongested and rural development can also be fast-tracked. As an expert once said, the sign of a developed country is not when every person is able to buy a car but it is when the middle and upper classes of society also use mass transportation and this can be seen in countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore.

 

3.) Make Universal Health Care coverage not just a slogan but a reality

 

I recently had a trip to Camarines Sur and was able to talk to some communities in the area. They told me that their local government officials recently gave them PhilHealth Cards, the major problem is they don’t know how to use it and it will take them several kilometers and more than a hundred pesos just to reach their nearest health facility. This is a typical problem in many provinces in our country especially those living in far flung baranggays and communities. They have PhilHealth cards but they do not have the means to go to the nearest public health facility to use the card. Hopefully, our government can consider using the DAP funds to develop more adequately equipped rural health facilities in our provinces so that people will no longer have to spend much just to be able to go to major hospitals which are usually located in our cities. This will help more Filipinos access quality healthcare and will endear our government more especially to the masses who often feel helpless when they see one of their loved ones suffering from an illness that can easily be cured if only they are able to seek help from a health professional.

 

Comments are welcome at harveykeh@gmail.com / Follow me at Twitter: twitter.com/harveykeh

 

Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo School of Government and is also the Lead Covenor of the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership.