THE PHILIPPINES should focus on reforms that will improve learning and health outcomes, as well as boost private sector competitiveness to sustain economic growth, a World Bank official said on Monday.

“I see the Philippines has good opportunities. But of course, [it] will also need to invest in reform efforts and continue boosting with reforms and opening up its market,” World Bank Country Director for the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei Zafer Mustafaoğlu said on Money Talks with Cathy Yang on One News.

He said these reforms are needed for the Philippines to sustain growth amid global uncertainty.

He pointed to reforms that would improve health and learning outcomes, enhance competitiveness of the private sector, boost community resilience and address gaps in infrastructure.

The Philippines has seen low learning outcomes, especially after the strict lockdowns during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

“We see that at the age of 10… Almost 90% of them are having difficulty in comprehending what they read. This, of course, is an area that we are focusing very much on improving educational outcomes,” Mr. Mustafaoğlu said.

A World Bank report previously showed that around 91% of 10-year-olds in the Philippines cannot read and understand an age-appropriate text, which is known as “learning poverty.”

Mr. Mustafaoğlu also noted that a child born in the Philippines today will be able to achieve only around 52% of their productive potential by age 18 due to the lack of education and adequate health services.

The Philippines is seeking a $600-million loan from the World Bank to fund a project aimed at improving learning outcomes in public schools.

“We are focusing on improving regulatory business environments, its implementation, deepening financial markets that both provide access to finance but also stability, and also firm entry into the markets to create more product firms and help them grow,” Mr. Mustafaoğlu said.

He said the World Bank is also prioritizing funding projects that will support resilient communities amid climate risks, as well as projects that will address infrastructure gaps.

“We all know that the Philippines suffers from infrastructure gaps, both in terms of physical renewable energy and digital transformation,” Mr. Mustafaoğlu said.

Asked about the possible impact of the global trade war on the Philippines, he said the economy is still expected to be one of the top performers in the region.

“If you look at its growth performance over the past decade, it did very well and also it created jobs. It is a good opportunity for its future. It is a young population… We expect the Philippines to continue growing in the next years,” Mr. Mustafaoğlu said

“And in that sense, it is likely to achieve its upper middle-income status by 2026.”

The World Bank expects the Philippines to be the second-fastest growing economy in the Southeast Asian region until 2026.

The Philippines is expected to grow 6.1% this year, just behind Vietnam at 6.6% and ahead of Cambodia (5.5%), Indonesia (5.1%), Malaysia (4.5%), Laos (3.7%), Thailand (2.9%), and Myanmar (2%). — A.R.A. Inosante