THE financial costs of achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 remain one of the biggest challenges for the country, according to the Midterm Progress Report on the MDGs.

According to the presentation of the Philippines Midterm Progress Report of the MDGs made by former socioeconomic planning secretary Dr. Dante Canlas, though the sound macroeconomic performance of the country helped paint a brighter picture for the achievement of the goals by 2015, the country cannot be complacent.

“Macroeconomic gains are evident, but challenges on the fiscal side and aspects of income distribution remain,” Canlas said.

He also said the government should focus on addressing disparities across regions, curbing high population growth, improving the performance of the agricultural sector, accelerating the implementation of basic education and health reforms, and ensuring strict enforcement of laws pertinent to the achievement of the MDGs.

Further, Canlas said the administration must also strengthen the capacity of local government units to enable them to deliver basic services and manage programs and projects.

There is also a need to ensure transparency and accountability in all government transactions, that peace and security issues should be addressed, an increase in public-private partnerships, and improving the government’s database and targeting.

Based on his presentation, the country is lagging behind in the goals under achieving universal primary education, and improving maternal health, and one target under the goal ensuring environmental sustainability.

In terms of universal primary education, the country is lagging behind since there is an erratic survival rate and a rising dropout rate. There was also a noted decline in enrollment rate in school year (SY) 2005-2006, at 84.44 percent, compared with SY 2002-2003’s 90.29 percent.

Under improving maternal health, maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has dropped to 162 in 2006 compared with 209 in 1993. Canlas also noted that more men/women/couples, around 50.6 percent, do not practice safe parenthood or use contraceptives.

The slow decline in MMR may be traced to inadequate access to integrated reproductive health services by women, including poor adolescents and men, he said.

However, while the country may be on track in achieving the targets of increasing access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation facilities under environmental sustainability, the country is lagging behind in improving the lives of slum dwellers.

According to the presentation, the number of slum dwellers has increased to 675,000 in 2004 from 588,853 in 2002.

On the other hand, the country is on track in terms of achieving Goal 1, which is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Based on the presentation, there are less poor people now than before.

The presentation also noted that there are more children under 5 years old who are healthy now. The data showed that only 56.9 percent of children in 2003 were malnourished or underweight, compared with the 69.4 percent recorded in 1993.

The country is also on track in promoting gender equality by saying that there are now, more females in school. Based on the data, more females stay in school now, as shown in the 69.9 percent of females who stayed in school in SY 2005-2006 from 68.4 percent in SY 2000-2001.

“The indicators suggest equal status by gender and slightly favoring females in access and survival rates in basic education. A disturbing aspect is the decline in participation and cohort survival rates in both primary and secondary levels,” Canlas noted.

The country also remains on track in reducing child mortality. Under-5 mortality rate has declined to 32 percent in 2006 from 80 percent in 1990, while infant mortality rate was down to 24 percent in 2006 from 57 in 1990.

In terms of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and decreasing the incidence of malaria and other diseases, the country remains on track. HIV prevalence has not increased and is still below 1 percent of the population, while malaria mortality has dropped to 55 in 2004/2005 from 72 in 1998.

In addition, the country remains on track in developing global partnerships for development. This is evidenced by the country’s pursuit of trade liberalization, which is anchored on import liberalization and tariff reduction and its active participation in the Asean Free Trade Area and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

The government was also able to reduce its debts through local and international measures, such as implementing fiscal reforms that include the extended value-added tax and the implementation of a debt-reduction program under the Brady bond scheme.

THE Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Makati City has temporarily stopped the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) from implementing a controversial order on motor-vehicle insurance.

THE financial costs of achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 remain one of the biggest challenges for the country, according to the Midterm Progress Report on the MDGs.

CONTROVERSIAL Maguindanao elections supervisor Lintang Bedol was found guilty of indirect contempt and was meted out up to six months imprisonment and a fine of P1,000 by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday.

THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to intensify fire-safety inspections in public schools and government buildings as part of its nationwide fire prevention and awareness campaign.

TWO members of the notorious Waray-Waray kidnap-for-ransom group were arrested by police agents in recent operations in Pasig and Pasay cities.

MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s largest power distributor, said that the Freedom from Debt Coalition’s (FDC) statement that Meralco rates are the highest in the country and that its distribution charges apply only to its residential and general service (RGS) customers that consume more than 400 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month.