Introduction

Human development, as described in Chapter I of the Human Development Report 1990 of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is a process of enlarging people’s choices, most critical of which are to lead a long and healthy life, to be educated and to enjoy a decent standard of living.

The Human Development Index (HDI) conceptualized by the UNDP in 1990 attempts to measure human development. Recognizing the complexity of human development, the HDI may not be that comprehensive to be able to capture all the facets of human development. The UNDP, however, stressed that a simple composite measure of human development can already draw attention to the issues quite effectively.

In the Philippines, the Human Development Network (HDN) started the computation of the HDI in 1994 down to the regional level. Three years later, the HDN came out with provincial HDI estimates for 1990 and 1994. After the launch of the 1990 and 1994 HDI by province, the then President Fidel V. Ramos instructed the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) to include the HDI in the system of designated statistics to ensure regular release of the index. In May 1997, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the NSCB and the HDN to effect the transfer of responsibility for the computation and publication of the HDI to NSCB. Thus, in March 2000, the NSCB released its first report on the HDI (Report on the 1997 Philippine Human Development Index), for the year 1997 and updates for 1994.

This report, Report on the 2000 Philippine Human Development Index, covers the years 1994, 1997 and 2000. Aside from the usual comparison of the provinces in terms of HDI and its component indices, included in the Report is the discussion of the movement of the index over time.