Ambisyon Natin 2040 - Grade: 30/30 PDF

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An essay about the university's promotion of sustainable development...

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AMBISYON NATIN 2040 As launched by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Ambisyon Natin 2040, the collective long-term visions and aspirations of the Filipino people, will be our nation’s guide for the next 25 years in order to end poverty. Ambition Natin 2040 enumerates the people’s dreams for themselves and the country which in summary states that “By 2040, the Philippines is a prosperous middle-class society where no one is poor.” President Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order on 11 October 2016 adopting this 25-year long-term vision for the country (Asian Development Bank, 2016). Before I read the development plan, Ambisyon Natin 2040, I coincidentally bumped into a YouTube video from a channel named Asian Boss which featured a story about Mama Rosita: The Cook who Recycles Food from Garbage. As the title suggests, the video enclosed how “pagpag” (leftover fastfood chicken) is recycled into some food and that is the only way for her to survive each day. The next video that YouTube suggested, however, was a video from Harper's Bazaar entitled These Are the Real 'Crazy Rich Asians’. Kevin Kwan, the author of the book Crazy Rich Asian, traveled to meet these people like Heart Evangelista who can buy a million-peso bag and shoes (the cheapest) and say that the deal was a steal. These two videos opened my eyes to how big the gap of riches to rags is. People who were born poor regardless of how much work they do, remain in the dumps of the country. It was very heartbreaking to see people live off food straight from the garbage while others spend chunks of money on something unnecessary. Thus, after reading Ambisyon Natin 2040, a glimmer of hope for the oppressed shinned through me. It was a great vision that delivers chances of equality and development. To be honest, I have mixed reactions about Ambisyon Natin 2040. The priority plans (education, housing and urban development, etc.) for this vision are the sectors I think really need attention and development. The Philippines is located near the equator which makes our land great for cultivation and farming. But unfortunately, due to lack of financial and developmental support, it became one of the poorest sectors. Thus, in my opinion, it is right to allocate much attention to agriculture, just like what Ambisyon Natin 2040 prioritizes. On the other hand, an underlying question was roaming around my mind, “Can we meet the vision by 2040?” Development is not an all-nighter job, it requires time and effort not only to the policymakers but also to us, the citizens. It takes years and even decades to achieve this goal, taking into consideration that 48% of the Filipino families class themselves poor, it is 2 points higher than 2017 (Randa, 2018). In addition to the list of challenges faced by Ambisyon 2040, Mendoza (2018) quoted that to be a middle-class society, the Philippines needs to keep up or surpass its 7.1% economic growth rate for 24 more years. Furthermore, the current and future administrations should successfully provide 1.3 million to 1.5 million jobs every year for the next 20 years. To be honest, I find Ambisyon Natin 2040 too idealistic because of all the towering statistics it should meet. Plus, more important than the numbers, the effect should be felt by the smallest sector in our nation. The lives of every Filipino people should be elevated without leaving the poorest of the poor behind. So, a student and a future development communicator, I will support the vision not only because it is what the administration prepared but, in my opinion, it was an ambitious yet great plan for a developing country like ours.

Kim C. Guinto...