Growth and development

PUNCHLINE

Ike Señeres

Many words in the English language would seem to be synonymous with each other, but they are actually not. Take the case of “growth” and “development”. Many people would think that these two words mean the same thing or if not, one would come after the other.

As I understand it, “growth” would happen (could happen) even if there is no development planning, meaning to say that it could be a consequence of time, or an outcome of market forces coming together. It seems that this is also the case when it comes to people who would actually “grow” old in terms of their physical bodies, but would not actually “develop” in terms of their professional life, social life and spiritual life.

A recent visit to a municipality has reminded me that “growth” and “development” may not happen (would not necessarily) happen on top of each other (or parallel to each other). With all due respects to my friends and relatives in my beloved city, I would say that the “growth” is noticeable after my absence of twenty years, but “development” (as I understand it) seems to be lacking (or lagging, as the case may be).

By comparison, it could be said that “growth” could not be planned, but “development” could definitely be planned. For example, if the City had planned its development twenty years ago, its implementation would be (could be) clearly noticeable by now.

In fairness to the present Mayor, I hear that he has done a lot of improvements already, but it is hard for me to say that he is meeting his development targets, not unless I could actually read the City’s Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP), assuming that they have one. Suffice it to say however that the Mayor is trying his best to “develop” the City in the best way that he knows. On the subject of the MTDP, it seems that many cities (if not most cities) do not have their own MTDPs. Some may not be aware that they need their own MTDPs in the first place. Even worse, some Mayors may not even be aware of the concept of medium term planning.

As I understand it (or as I wish it would happen), every region, province and municipality is supposed to have their localized versions of the Philippine Medium Term Development Plan (PMTDP). That is actually not the best way of doing it, because proper planning should be from bottom to top, and not the other way around. If plans were done properly therefore, the local MTDPs should have been the components of its aggregated versions all the way up to the national level. It may be difficult to see the connection, but in theory (or as it is supposed to be), the MTDPs should have been the basis for (or should have been the target of) both the Countryside Development Fund (CDF) and the Internal Revenue Allocations (IRAs).

As it is supposed to be, every barangay and municipality is supposed to have a Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP). There are also some other zoning laws that have to be followed, but putting together a CLUP is the best way to start. Without it, there is no way to move forward. As I understand it, the approval of the CLUP for a municipality (either a town or a city) could start with the Municipal Development Council (MDC) before it is elevated to the Town Council or the City Council. Of course, these two could ignore or bypass the MDC but it is more proper not to do so.

What is more important is for every municipality to have a Municipal Medium Term Development Plan (MMTDP). Without such a plan, it is difficult to imagine any development that could happen. That is the nature and essence of development. It has to be planned objectively, and never should it be subjective. Otherwise, everything will just be left to chance, and nothing could be measurable. In the absence of any other reference, the Mayor and his development planners could be guided by the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Based on the goals of HDI, municipal targets could be set in aiming to increase longevity and literacy rates, and also to lower poverty rates. Based on the MDGs, municipal targets could be set to increase local access to services such as cooking fuels, electricity, sanitation and safe water. In the absence of any other known measures, the Mayor and his development planners could identify their own measurable targets such as the ratio of hospital beds to the population. The operative word in all cases is access, as in access to public services of all kinds.

It is encouraging to see that the roads leading to the said municipality has been widened from two lanes to four lanes. In a manner of speaking, the availability of road space is subject to the laws of supply and demand. As the number of vehicles would increase, there should also be a planned expansion of road space. In this particular example, “growth” could refer to the increase in the number of vehicles, but “development” could refer to the widening of the roads.

It is also encouraging to see that several government agencies have worked with each other in order to consolidate mapping data that are available from many sources. With this consolidated map already available and with the availability of online resources such as Google Maps, it is easier than ever to produce map based CLUPs. More often than not, Geographic Information System (GIS) are used in digital mapping. The good news is, there is no shortage of free technical assistance in order to make this happen.  For whatever use it could have, there are free consulting services that could be given to the Local Government Units (LGUs), and not just for CLUP and GIS. Ask, and you shall receive.Email bantaygobyerno- subscribe@yahoogroups.com or text +639083159262