Development Issues in the Philippines

1997 Per Capita Income

Philip-pines

>Indonesia

$3520 $3490

Change in Per Capita Income between 1975 and 1997

Philip-pines

<Indonesia

15% 417%

Obstacles to Growth

High fertility rates› consequent rapid

population growth (2.3% per year)

Very high rates of in-fectious diseases (Ex. tuberculosis)

Corruption

Inhibited develop-ment of fully com-petitive markets

Limited government capacity to raise revenue and make critical investments in human resources and infrastructure

Lack of technical skills, financial capacity, and political will to protect the natural en-vironment› Threatens basic food security and glob-

ally significant biological diversity

Acceleration of rural to urban migration over the short-term› Greater stress on inadequate infrastruc-

ture› Large parts of the Philippines could be

uninhabitable over the long-term

Environmental Issues

Overfishing and Destructive Fishing

› Declining fish stocks and biodiversity A drop of 90% in the quantity of marine organ-

isms› Economic Loss

Mismanagement of fisheries resources cost $ 420 million annually in lost revenues

› Weak fisheries management› Ineffective policies› Poor enforcement of fishery laws.

Coastal infrastructure development

› Excavation, dredging, and coastal con-version to accommodate coastal devel-opment

› Corals extracted for reclamation and construction

› Mangroves suffered from the aquacul-ture industry 36% reduction of mangroves from

1990

Deforestation

› 3% left of the original cover

› Under threat from agricul-ture, urbanization, illegal logging, and forest fires

› Severe soil erosion› Rich biodiversity threat-

ened Endemic species

› Inconsistent laws› Inadequate regulations› Weak enforcement› Lack of funding

Pollution

› Poor waste management› Polluting industrial material (i.e. mercury)

from abandoned mining areas

› Poor planning› Weak management and enforcement of

regulations

Problems in Social Development

More investment in constructing physical structures than funding basic social services› Despite the $ 600 million budget

surplus in 2006, only 29% of total expenditures in UNICEF focus ar-eas spent for social services

Bibliography

http://www.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/philippines/environmental_problems__in_philippines/

http://www.unicef.org/philippines/8898.html

http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/bj2001/ane/ph/

Bibliography (Images)

http://asean-iran.blogspot.com/2009/11/philippines-day-celebrated-at-asean.html

http://lacsimon.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html

http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0319-hance_philippines.html

http://www.boholchronicle.com/2007/mar/25/editorial.htm

http://www.cosmoloan.com/money-management/the-6-main-reasons-why-most-pro-athletes-go-broke.html

http://www.wwf.org.ph/gallery.php?filter=3