“We cannot fix what we cannot measure properly,” Senator Pia S. Cayetano emphasized as she reconvened the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation, and Futures Thinking to continue its review of the country’s progress toward 2030. She pressed agencies to present pre-pandemic baselines to better assess progress, address data gaps, and align budget priorities.
Cayetano also highlighted the irony of the Philippines being on track to reach upper middle-income country (UMIC) status while poverty incidence remains high. She further linked the discussion to her simultaneous participation in the Women, Children, and Family Relations Committee, noting how poverty makes families more vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.
The Committee then heard the bills on Walkable and Bikeable Communities, which passed in the Senate on 3rd reading in the 18th & 19th Congresses. Cayetano underscored the goal to institutionalize active transportation through sidewalks, safe bike lanes, and people-first street design. She also called for smarter use of funds, including shifting budgets away from anomalous projects toward active mobility infrastructure.
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