The efficiency of health and education expenditures in the Philippines

The Philippine government spent around 17 percent of GDP in 2004. A huge part of this expenditure, however, goes to debt servicing. At present, total public debt is 109.8 percent of GDP. With what is left, only one percent is spent for health and three percent for education. With such budget constraint, it is important to examine the efficiency of spending on social services as small changes can have a major impact in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.