世界银行-菲律宾农业公共支出审查：特别关注Mandanas裁决对农业食品系统的影响（英）-2023.5-106页

Philippines Agriculture Public Expenditure Review Summary

Introduction and Context

This report reviews the Philippines' agricultural public expenditure policies, focusing on the alignment with the New Thinking and One DA agenda, which emphasize modernization and inclusivity. The study analyzes challenges and opportunities arising from the Mandanas Ruling, which mandates devolution of agricultural services to local government units (LGUs). The review highlights how current spending patterns, particularly the bias toward rice subsidies, have not translated into improved sector performance or poverty reduction, with a need for strategic reorientation.

Findings on Sector Performance

• Economic Performance: Agriculture growth has stagnated, with low productivity in subsectors like crops and livestock. Poverty incidence among farmers and fisherfolk high despite declines.
• Policy Framework: The New Thinking and One DA agenda aim to shift from single-commodity programs to holistic planning, but spending decisions have not fully aligned with these goals.

Findings on Expenditure Effectiveness

• Inefficiencies: Subsidy programs for inputs like fertilizer are regressive, inefficient, and often fail to reach beneficiaries due to administrative issues and delivery delays.
• Disbursement: DA budget disbursement rates (around 75-77%) are low and have not improved, undermining budget effectiveness and arguing for a higher overall agricultural budget share.
• Distribution: Spending is disproportionate to regional economic output and poverty levels, with Luzon receiving the bulk despite challenges in poor regions.

Challenges in Devolution

• Risk of Ineffective Implementation: Devolving services to LGUs requires careful selection of functions and capacity building, as past decentralization efforts were reversed.
• Funding Issues: LGUs may lack sufficient resources and capacity to manage devolved services, leading to potential underfunding and poor outcomes.
• Coordination and Monitoring: Weak vertical and horizontal coordination, along with inadequate monitoring systems, risk undermining devolution.

Key Recommendations

• Realignment of Expenditures: Shift from commodity-based subsidies to area-based planning, invest more in public goods like R&D and extension, and adopt targeted programs for collective action.
• Improved Effectiveness: Implement e-voucher systems for input support, consider decoupled payments over subsidies, and enhance monitoring and evaluation using economic cost-benefit analysis.
• Successful Devolution: Retain key functions with the DA, ensure mechanisms for national alignment in LGU decisions, and strengthen capacity-building for LGUs to manage devolved responsibilities.

The review underscores the need for policy coherence, evidence-based decision-making, and institutional reforms to leverage the post-Mandanas developments for sustainable agricultural growth.