Canlas endorses De Venecia’s economic development plan

The Economic Action Plan 747 of former Speaker and Pangasinan Rep. Jose De Venecia Jr. is consistent with the economic growth targets under the government’s medium-term development plan, Economic Planning Secretary Dante Canlas said yesterday.

In a statement released by De Venecia’s office, Canlas was quoted as saying the administration is generally in agreement with the major areas of concern identified in Plan 747.

"Most of these areas of concern are the same as those in the medium-term development program," he said.

He said the executive branch looks forward to working with Congress to push for needed legislation that would achieve the administration‘s economic goals.

De Venecia, who is expected to be elected Speaker again when the 12th Congress convenes on July 23, recently submitted his economic action plan to President Arroyo.

He wants a repeat of the unprecedented growth the nation attained during the Ramos years when he was Speaker for six years.

He envisions an annual seven-percent growth for seven years (747) starting next year with the executive and legislative branches working together to achieve these targets.

De Venecia admitted that the growth targets under Plan 747 are higher than those in the government’s medium-term development program, which envisions a 5.9-6.5 percent growth in the presidential election year of 2004.

"Our projection is a fighting target. We envision Plan 747 as paving the way for a period of sustained growth. We would like to keep our fighting target in order to give our action plan the moral equivalent of war against poverty," he said.

"We must manage the results accordingly, so that at the need of the seventh year, poor Filipinos would begin to move into the threshhold of the middle class," he added.

Noting that peace and order problems are some of the factors impeding growth, the Pangasinan solon said the government must be able to move forward in this area.

The resumption of peace talks with armed groups is a step in the right direction, he said.

He recalled that when Fidel Valdez Ramos assumed office in 1992, one of the first things he did was to initiate peace negotiations with groups fighting the government.

"We have to go back to the high growth path," he stressed.