Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan was elected as the Chairperson of the Board of Commissioners of the Commission on Population and Development.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan was elected Last Sept. 8 as chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM). He was elected at the first meeting of the board.
The population program, including family planning, pertains to economic and social development that must be coordinated, monitored, and decided upon by the POPCOM. The agency is governed by the POPCOM Board, which consists of 14 members: 11 from the public sector and 3 from the private sector.
The Secretaries of NEDA, Departments of Health (DOH), Interior and Local Government (DILG), Labor and Employment (DOLE), Agriculture (DA), Agrarian Reform (DAR), Education (DepEd), Trade and Industry (DTI), Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Public Works and Highways (DSWD), and the Director of the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) are among the government representatives to the board.
Balisacan explained how the Marcos Administration shall mainstream the POPCOM's priority programs and projects in the country's medium-term development blueprint, the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.
This ensures that population issues and policy directions are properly reflected and integrated into the country's roadmap for development. Population policies must be aligned with the overall thrust of the socioeconomic agenda, which includes efforts to recover human capital losses and dramatically improve the productivity of the labor force.
"As the working population grows faster than the total population and our economy undergoes a demographic transition, we must ensure that our people obtain sufficient human capital and are well-equipped with the tools that will enable them to raise their productivity and compete globally. Capitalizing on this shift will help us achieve rapid economic transformation," Balisacan said.
Deputy Executive Director Lolito R. Tacardon has been designated as OIC of POPCOM.
Secretary Balisacan was the sole nominee for the post, and he succeeded former Chair and current University of the Philippines Population Institute Director Grace T. Cruz.
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