Section 2Sec./Art. 2

Declaration of Policy. - The State shall adopt and implement continuing, integrated, and coordinated policies, plans, and programs towards equitable distribution of opportunities, income and wealth; ensure a sustained increase in the amount of goods and services produced by the nation for the benefit of the people; and expand productivity to raise the quality of life for all.

It is, therefore, vital that major programs and projects of different govenrment agencies are properly reviewed and coordinated by a national government agency to ensure their consistency with established national and subnational priorities; that the linkage between development planning, programming, and budgeting is given the highest priority in identifying programs, activities, and projects; and that the public and private sectors at the national and subnational levels participate in the process of formulating, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating policies, plans, and programs.

For this purpose, all socio-economic programs and activities of the government shall be programmed within the context of well-formulated and consistent long-, medium-, and short-term development plans and policies to promote both the growth of the economy and the equitable distribution of its benefits to the members of society.

The State further recognizes that an independent economic and planning agency headed by the President of the Philippines shall, after consultation with the appropriate public agencies, private sector groups, and local government units (LGUs), recommend priority legislative measures to Congress.

ARTICLE II

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMY, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT