DPA 507 DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

ALEXIS C. CRUZ, MPA

DPA Student

DR. ZANDRA PARUJINOG

Professor

Theories and Practices of Program Administration

V. Level, Roles in Community Development including Planning Institutions and Step by Step Planning

According to the provisions of the Constitution of the Philippines, the National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA) serves as the independent socioeconomic planning authority for
the Filipino government. The National Economic Council was established in 1935 as a result of
the Commonwealth Act, which is considered to be the commencement of NEDA (NEC). As a
result of Presidential Decree 107, which ultimately led to the formation of NEDA, the NEC has
been through a number of different reconstitutions and mergers with other economic councils.

In accordance with Presidential Order No. 230, it underwent a reorganization on July 22, 1987,
with the goal of improving its capacity to coordinate the process of developing plans for
development and formulating policies.

In the fields of macroeconomic forecasting, policy analysis, and research, the NEDA Secretariat
is considered as the authority. The Socioeconomic Planning Secretary serves as the Secretariat's
head. It offers recommendations on matters of high-level policy to both the Executive Branch
and the Legislative Branch of the government.

1. Coordinate activities such as the formulation of policies, plans, and programs to

efficiently set the broad parameters for national and sub-national (area-wide, regional,
and local) development;
2. Review, monitor, and evaluate infrastructure projects identified under the Comprehensive
and Integrated Infrastructure Program consistent with the government’s thrust of
increasing investment spending for the growing demand on quality infrastructure
facilities; and
 3. Undertake critical analyses of development issues and provide policy alternatives to
decision-makers.

The consultative approach served as the foundation upon which the planning process was built.
The whole implementation of the visioning project was supervised by an Advisory Committee that
included members from the government, commercial sector, academic institutions, and civil
society. Also, specialists from a variety of development-related sectors were contacted,
particularly regarding the topical technical articles. NEDA was in charge of leading the creation
of the many components of the project under the direction of the Advisory Committee. These
components included public consultations conducted through focus group discussions, a
nationwide survey, technical research, communication and advocacy.

A total of forty-two (42) focus group discussions (FGDs) were held around the country, the
majority of which were members of marginalized and underprivileged communities whose
perspectives are rarely heard. Fisherfolk, farmers, the urban poor, survivors of natural disasters,
families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), indigenous people (IPs), students, formal workers,
government workers, out-of-school youth, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) can be found in
10 distinct regions across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Indigenous people (IPs) can also be
found in these regions.
The findings from the FGD were used as input when developing the survey questionnaire for a
national survey with a sample size of 10,000. Participants in the survey range in age from 15 to 50
and come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including those of different classes, occupations,
and ethnicities.

In order for local governments to be able to operationalize policies and implement programs in
accordance with the various areas, they need to be able to develop plans, prioritize and evaluate
projects, and finance these. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has
compiled a guidebook for local government units in the areas of planning, investment
programming, budgeting and expenditure management, as well as project evaluation and
development, in order to assist these entities in accomplishing the aforementioned goal.

The Planning guidelines are intended to provide assistance to local governments in recognizing
issues or problems associated with development, establishing goals and objectives, determining
strategies, and specifying programs, projects, and activities on the basis of an analysis of the
physical, demographic, and economic environment. This involves assigning priorities to the
projects that are outlined in the development plan based on a number of different factors. In
addition to this, an evaluation of the local government units' (LGUs') capacity to finance
investment projects and an assessment of prospective funds for investment projects are both
included.

The goal of the guidelines for Budgeting and Expenditure Management is to strengthen the
connection between planning and budgeting by promoting "fiscal discipline," "allocative
efficiency," and "operational efficiency" in spending through the introduction of a variety of tools
and techniques at various stages of the budget process. This will strengthen the link between
planning and budgeting, which will in turn strengthen the link between planning and budgeting.
Pre-budget preparation, budget preparation, budget legislation, budget review, budget execution,
and budget accountability are the components that make up the overall budget process.

By ensuring that projects are objectively evaluated in accordance with these standards, local
government units (LGUs) should be able to increase both their overall effectiveness and the
efficiency with which they allocate resources. The assessment of a project requires familiarity with
the product or service being assessed, as well as an awareness of the connections between the
project's inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. In addition to that, it includes evaluations of the
market, the technical, the financial, the economic, the externality, as well as risk and sensitivity.

References:

1. Roles and Functions of NEDA

https://nro6.neda.gov.ph/functions/
2. NEDA
https://sdg.neda.gov.ph/about-
neda/#:~:text=The%20NEDA%20Secretariat%2C%20headed%20by,and%20Legislative
%20branches%20of%20government.
3. The Official Gazette

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/section/briefing-room/national-economic-and-
development-authority/

4. National Economic Development Agency

https://lawphil.net/administ/neda/neda.html