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Well-developed infrastructure systems and services are vital means of enhancing the connectivity of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member-economies. In essence, efforts by APEC to enhance connectivity through infrastructure should be considered regional public goods since these create positive spillover effects for each member of the region, or net benefits for a member that are greater than what it could achieve if it were to produce the by-products of regional cooperation on its own. To contribute to APEC efforts and at the same time help meet the infrastructure development needs of the Philippines, this study recommends that the Philippine government elevate cross-cutting topics and sector-specific concerns as priorities for discussion during its hosting of APEC 2015. The Philippines can propose regional cooperation on investing and building disaster-resilient infrastructure, as well as sharing of best practices and lessons learned in complying with infrastructure resilience requirements (e.g., plans, technologies, and logistics for humanitarian activities). The Philippines can also drive discussions related to public-private partnerships (PPPs) by expressing the need for truly dynamic capacity building and sharing of best practices on viability studies, risk sharing, and contracting (from design to management and monitoring) - which are crucial factors in ensuring that PPP projects are bankable. The Philippines can also recommend knowledge sharing and actual investments toward infrastructure quality upgrading in the transport, energy, telecommunications and information sectors.

Managing urban growth in countries requires that leaders plan ahead using national physical plans that, among others, safeguard land for utilities and physical infrastructure decades ahead, deliberately configures transport networks (including strategic seaports, controlled expressways and, if necessary, railway extension to suburbs) in order to induce factor mobility, and actively targets the removal of slums and urban renewal. Given this, it appears that Philippine urban development planning and implementation have overly focused on housing and neglected other types of physical infrastructure. Moreover, the urban development plans of local government units are fragmented and lack complementarity. This paper traces the roots of this state of affairs, proposes alternative ways of responding to the urbanization challenges in the Philippines, and discusses how regional cooperation among ASEAN Plus Three countries can help countries like the Philippines respond to urbanization challenges.

The Sitio Electrification Program (SEP) and the Household Electrification Program (HEP) are two ongoing rural electrification programs of the government. To assist the Department of Budget and Management in implementing its zero-based budgeting approach, we assessed the 2011 SEP and HEP implementation. Using benchmarking for the efficiency and effectiveness assessment of program implementation, we find that the programs were able to achieve their 2011 targets and at reasonable costs. Using an econometric regression for studying the poverty reduction impacts of rural electrification in the Philippines, we also find evidence of a positive relationship between rural electrification and poverty reduction.However, in order to meet the national electrification targets, the SEP and HEP implementation designs need to be improved. The SEP targeting system can be improved by using households as the ultimate basis for setting targets and then using the sitios as location identifiers for the household connections being targeted. Monitoring SEP and HEP accomplishments can be improved by including household dwelling units connected and households served in field reports. The social preparation component can also be strengthened by specifically identifying what constrains the households from connecting despite the presence of subsidies and then addressing the constraints in the program design. Prioritization can also be improved by giving importance to the presence of local enterprises that can raise economic activities and employment when prioritizing areas to be assisted.The Expanded Rural Electrification Team should also be re-activated, but it should have a streamlined setup and the responsibilities of members should be assigned to positions in offices rather than to specific officials (so that the performance of duties can be sustained even after the officials have left). Lastly, given that the 2012 experience in the accelerated implementation of the SEP raises red flags on the absorptive capacity of the National Electric Administration and the electric cooperatives, decisionmakers may have to downscale the annual targets to more realistic levels and extend the implementation period to a more realistic duration.

The Philippines' current development plan in pursuit of inclusive growth through strategies like infrastructure investment, improvement to governance, human development, employment creation, stable inflation and sustainable fiscal balance has resulted in early though limited successes. Challenges in the implementation include slow progress in public-private partnership programmes for infrastructure and inaccuracies in targeting the poor in the direct poverty relief programme. In fact, policy coherence and institutional strengthening are critical elements in pursuing inclusive growth.

The Mindanao electric power problem, which led to a crisis situation in summer 2012, is primarily due to inadequate baseload capacity and unbalanced generation capacity mix. The crisis might stage a comeback when the days of relatively cooler weather and heavier rainfall are over and the annual system peaks, which can be expected in summer 2013, kick in once again. The short-term recommended actions are as follows: continue the rehabilitation and sustain the operations of Agus and Pulangui hydropower complexes; minimize the bureaucratic hurdles in the building up of electric cooperatives' embedded generation capacities but only up to the extent allowed by law; undertake a more aggressive information, education, and communication campaign in Mindanao regarding the power situation and power outlook; and address the risk aversion problem in baseload power contracting.In the medium to long term, the possible policy responses include the following: decide with finality the fate of the privatization of Agus and Pulangui hydropower complexes and include the concession option in the range of options; facilitate the entry of new baseload capacity commitments and if no new investments would come in, the government could also explore a concession arrangement; accelerate the development of renewable energy projects through quick action in rules setting; strengthen the capacity of the regulator to deal with complex issues in the electric power industry; and pursue the interconnection of the Visayas and Mindanao power grids.

This study assesses the sources and levels of infrastructure financing in the Philippines for the last five years (2008-2012). The mapping of fiscal resources showed that there had been underinvestment in infrastructure. To illustrate, in 2008-2012, public infrastructure spending as a share of GDP ranged between a low of 1.40 percent to a high of 2.09 percent - a far cry from the target 5 percent of GDP over the medium term. The result of many years of infrastructure underinvestment is woefully manifested in the Philippines' place in quality-of-infrastructure ranking among ASEAN member-states; it is currently second to the bottom.Recently, there had been significant improvements in the government's fiscal position that augur well for more substantial infrastructure spending in the future. New regional sources of financing, the liquid domestic capital market, and a low interest-rate environment also present opportunities for investing in infrastructure by both the government and the private sector. However, it is not only the constrained availability of financial resources that could restrain infrastructure investments but also institutional weaknesses and, therefore, the government must firmly commit to reform policies and strengthen institutions.

Global experience in regional energy market integration presents broad elements of integration, i.e., binding agreements, physical infrastructure, standardized or harmonized rules of operation, and governing or coordinating institutions. The pathway to ASEAN Energy Market Integration (AEMI) will also involve creating these elements; however, this activity must be preceded by trust-building activities among ASEAN members. Trust should be built by candidly disclosing mutual gains from, and shared costs and externalities in energy resource development, trading energy products, market adjustments, and regulatory reforms. Shared databases and assessments could allow ASEAN members to formulate the building blocks of an AEMI regional accord. ASEAN leaders could then forge a regional accord for AEMI through 2030 with actionable targets and timetables.The targets could include establishing or strengthening institutions for facilitating integration efforts, removing border and behind-the-border barriers to energy trade and investments, harmonizing rules and standards, and building the physical infrastructure for regional energy trading. Since energy market integration takes place not only at the government level but also at the private sector level, ASEAN members must base their preparedness to join AEMI on the business case for integration rather than merely on the availability of energy resources. Moreover, at the minimum, ASEAN members should have independent energy regulators and pursue harmonization of rules and standards.

This study examines procurement policy issues in light of recent concerns on delays in project implementation and underspending of government agencies. In the 2014 and 2015 reports of the Department of Budget and Management, procurement is cited as a reason for underspending. Likewise, government agencies with major underspending concerns noted "public procurement issues" as a recurring reason for the low disbursement outturn. In an attempt to make procurement less of a hurdle, Congress currently proposes to grant emergency powers to the president and do away with competitive bidding as the default mode in implementing transportation projects. However, procurement data analysis shows that in civil works procurement, the bid failure rate tends to be higher under the alternative mode of procurement than under the competitive mode, a result which does not support Congress' proposal. Key lessons from experience are also investigated through interviews with various government agencies in the implementation and execution of the Philippine procurement process. The numerous key informant interviews greatly revealed the difficulties encountered and good practices implemented under the current legislative framework. To address procurement issues, the study recommends: (1) pursuing deliberate investments in and having a political will for systems change and organizational culture change, (2) greater investment in planning and other preparatory activities before the actual procurement, (3) innovation orientation in public procurement, and (4) value-for-money procurement.

This common country assessment update for the Philippines underpins the sustainable development partnership framework for the Philippines and the United Nations (UN). Taking off from the analysis of the national baseline on sustainable development goals (SDGs) and progress in the SDGs, this report employs UN's approach of framing the sustainable development outcomes under three pillars, namely, people, prosperity and planet, and peace. The report dissects the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) impacts and trajectories of the sustainable development outcomes under each pillar. COVID-19 impacts are anticipated to result in a regression in human development capacities and opportunities. These are also expected to thwart economic prosperity, change consumption behavior, and affect the environment. Delays in peacekeeping activities and fiscal resources realignments might also affect the communities that are trying to recover from violence and armed conflicts, especially in Mindanao. To mitigate further regression in development, the report recommends the following, among others: for the people pillar, governance improvements in areas such as social welfare programs delivery to vulnerable groups; for the prosperity and planet pillar, science-based policy strategies that will consider the current problems exposed by the pandemic, as well as incorporate the timeliness of the policy responses; and for the peace pillar, the continued cooperation between the national government and the Bangsamoro government in ensuring that the recently gained peace dividends are protected and stakeholders do not slide back on their commitments.

Past and present administrations have implemented water supply and sanitation (WSS) programs to increase the number of households with access to safe drinking water and sanitary toilet facilities. This study examines the President's Priority Program for Water and the Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig Para sa Lahat Program. It finds underachievement of targets, which was a result of institutional framework weaknesses, capacity and governance constraints, and fundamental gaps in program implementation. Given the remaining unmet needs in WSS, the study recommends that an improved successor program that also has a nationwide scope be designed. It also provides recommendations on how to improve the overall implementation of the successor program, the grant allocation and prioritization, the stakeholder participation, and funds management and disbursement. In addition, it presents a possible framework for a monitoring and evaluation plan of future WSS programs and a database that can be used in the future for ranking and prioritization, monitoring, and estimation of investment requirements.

The Philippines' recent economic performance has been remarkable amid the lingering slowdown in the global economy and the devastation brought about by recent natural disasters. The economy grew by 7.2 percent in 2013, substantially higher than its 6.8 percent growth in 2012. With GDP growth averaging at 5.9 percent in the last three years, the Philippines is one of the better performers among the developing economies. However, the economy faces problems of high poverty incidence and income inequality. The main challenge is how to sustain rapid and inclusive growth.It is important for the government's inclusive growth strategy and development agenda to be supported by responsive development finance. This Development Finance and Aid Assessment prepared for the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) takes stock of current development finance in the Philippines. It provides a comprehensive survey of development finance and aid scenario in the Philippines in the next 5 to 10 years. It offers policy recommendations and proposals for enhancements on development financing in the country.

This study articulates the results of the research team's conversations with regulators and desk review of policies in the sectors affecting logistics and trade facilitation in the Philippines. The study covers air transport, land transport, maritime transport, logistics services, and customs services. Successes in regulatory reforms as well as the remaining restrictions to better logistics and trade facilitation surfaced from the conversations with regulators and the analysis of existing rules and regulations. Many of the remaining restrictions need to be addressed through amendments to existing laws and even enactment of new laws. This is the case in the following restrictions: limit on foreign equity participation, moving international government cargoes only through flag carriers, cabotage restriction, and the port regulator acting as an operator. Other remaining restrictions can be addressed through investments, which is the case in capacity-constrained airports and congested Metro Manila roads, and through improvements in operations, which is the case in customs administration.

As 2015 draws near, assessing ASEAN's progress toward the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) defined by the AEC Blueprint is necessary and instructive. This paper constitutes the Mid-Term Review (MTR) of the AEC Blueprint for the Philippines. The Philippines Country Report presents the results of the surveys related to the MTR on areas including trade liberalization and facilitation, services and investment liberalization, labor mobility, and agriculture. In assessing the progress of implementation of the country's commitments under the AEC, a scorecard mechanism is applied. The report also covers two case studies as well as discussions on the role of the private sector and SMEs, and concludes with recommendations to raise the implementation rate of the AEC measures in the country.Overall, the survey results demonstrate how the AEC and the AEC Blueprint could address some of the issues that have constrained private sector response to the opportunities provided by greater openness in the Philippines, particularly the complex and inefficient administrative processes and procedures, and lack of effective competition in key sectors of the economy. While the Philippines has demonstrated its commitment to the AEC and the AEC Blueprint, key measures still need to be realized, particularly those that relate to services liberalization, customs integration, and ratification of transport protocols and agreements. The analyses of the study have demonstrated the benefits of the accomplishment of AEC measures in the Philippines, particularly those that precisely addressed the key institutional weaknesses faced by the private sector. Further delays in implementation could be costly for the country.