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By Karl Garcia

The Philippines has mastered the art of making plans.

We have master plans, development roadmaps, long-term visions, and a steady stream of policy frameworks. Each new administration brings new ideas, new slogans, new targets. We produce reports, convene conferences, and launch “flagship programs” with great fanfare.

But the real question is not whether we have plans.

The question is whether we have the systems to carry those plans through.

The truth is that the Philippines does not lack vision. It lacks continuity.

And the reason is simple: we are trapped in annual budgeting.

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Annual Budgets Are the Enemy of Long-Term Development

Many of the most critical programs the country needs are not one-year projects. They are multi-year investments:

• modernizing our defense forces
• strengthening our health system
• building resilient infrastructure
• expanding renewable energy
• improving education and digitalization
• strengthening disaster risk reduction
• protecting the environment

These programs cannot be built year by year. They require sustained funding, long-term procurement, and uninterrupted implementation.

Yet our budget system forces them into a one-year box.

Every year, agencies must return to Congress for re-approval. Every year, funding becomes a political tool — a lever of power. Every year, long-term programs are vulnerable to delays, reallocation, and political whim.

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MYOA Is Not an Option — It Is a Necessity

Multi-Year Obligational Authority (MYOA) is the mechanism that allows government programs to operate across multiple years without the need for annual reauthorization.

We already use MYOA for key programs like AFP modernization and agriculture. But these are the exceptions, not the rule.

The fact that we limit MYOA to a few areas reveals the deeper truth:

The system is not designed for continuity. It is designed for control.

Annual budgeting gives lawmakers power. It allows them to:

• reward allies
• punish rivals
• control agencies
• shape projects for political advantage

MYOA threatens that power.

So the system resists it.

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The Problem Isn’t Procurement Law — It’s the Incentive Structure

We often blame corruption and procurement scandals for project failures.

But procurement law is not the real problem. The procurement law is strong. RA 9184 is one of the most comprehensive procurement laws in the region.

The problem is not the rules. The problem is the incentives.

Procurement ends when contracts are awarded. But projects fail during implementation. And implementation is where transparency and accountability are weakest.

The result is a system that is legally sound but operationally weak.

Delays happen. Change orders multiply. “Emergency procurement” becomes routine. Contractors profit from delays. Quality suffers. And the public loses trust.

But the root cause is still the same: the system is built for short-term political control, not long-term development.

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Public Spaces and Urban Development: A Mirror of the Same Problem

The same pattern shows up in urban planning.

We create public spaces — then remove them.

Baywalk was built, then scrapped by the next administration. Pasig River promenades exist, but only as long as they serve political interests. Reclamation threatens Manila Bay’s sunset, a symbol of the city’s identity.

Public spaces are built as political gestures, not permanent development. They exist only until the next administration decides otherwise.

This is what happens when continuity is not protected.

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The Solution: Make MYOA Mainstream

If we want real development, we must change the budget system.

Some programs should not be included in the annual budget at all.

They should be funded through multi-year budgets.

The country needs a strategic shift:
from yearly budgeting to multi-year planning.

This is not merely a technical reform. It is a political reform.

It means:

• protecting long-term projects from political cycles
• allowing agencies to plan and implement with stability
• reducing delays and waste
• improving quality and accountability
• building real infrastructure, not just political showpieces

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Conclusion: The Future Cannot Be Budgeted Year by Year

The Philippines is a nation of plans.

But plans do not build countries.

People build countries.

And people need continuity.

It’s time to make MYOA mainstream. It’s time to stop forcing multi-year programs into annual budgets. It’s time to protect the future from political short-termism.

Because development is not a one-year project.

It is a long-term commitment.

And the Philippines deserves a budget system that recognizes that.

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