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Annual Program Statement (APS) for FY 2009 - Democracy and Governance
APS No. 492-09-004
Issuance Date: 4/01/09
Closing Date: 05/15/09
(pdf/62Kb)
Annual Program Statement (APS) for FY 2009 - Conservation of Biodiversity and Management of Natural Resources
APS No. 492-09-002
Issuance Date: 2/03/09
Closing Date: 10/01/09
(pdf/1.4Mb)
Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) Philippines,
2009-2013
(pdf/678Mb)
USAID's programs in the Philippines focus on strengthening peace in conflict-affected Mindanao, promoting good governance, increasing economic opportunities, protecting the environment, strengthening health services, and improving basic education. We invite you to explore our web site to learn more about USAID/Philippines innovative programs and activities.
24 June 2009
NEDA-USAID Annual Consultations
UNITED STATES AND PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENTS REAFFIRM PRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) recently completed annual consultations on U.S. Government (USG) assistance partnerships in support of Philippine development priorities. Led by NEDA Officer-in-Charge Rolando G. Tungpalan and USAID/Philippines Mission Director Jon D. Lindborg, key staff of the two organizations reviewed program accomplishments and plans for the coming year.
During the consultations, Tungpalan ad-vised that the current Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) will end in 2010 but the Philippine government has mechanisms which allow for continued periodic validation of foreign assistance programs. “NEDA is working on materials that would be a basis for recommendations for the next MTPDP so that when the next leaders come on board, they would be familiar with the strategies set for the next six years,” Tungpalan said.
In his comments, USAID/Philippines Mission Director Jon D. Lindborg noted “…the long and productive U.S.-Philippines bilateral relationship, not only through U.S. assistance programs, but also through robust trade and investment linkages, people-to-people ties and security cooperation.” The group also viewed U.S. Secretary of State Clinton’s June 12 Philippines Independence Day video message in which she stated, “The United States is grateful for our friendship and partnership with the Philippines which has brought many benefits to the people of both our nations, and we are committed to continuing our friendship and finding new ways to work together in the months and years to come, for the good of our two countries and the world.”
NEDA and USAID reviewed results achieved over the past year in the following program focus areas: governance, economic growth, environment and energy, health, education, and Mindanao peace and development. For the U.S. Fiscal Year 2009, USAID’s anticipated development assistance to the Philippines amounts to nearly US$90 million and is in line with the priorities of the new U.S. Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for the Philippines for 2009-2013. The U.S. Government will support four priority assistance goals during this period: accelerating growth through improved competitiveness; strengthening governance, the rule of law, and the fight against corruption; investing in people to reduce poverty; and promoting a peaceful and secure Philippines. The United States remains the largest grant donor to the Philippines.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Sends Personal Video Message of Greetings to Filipinos on 111th Anniversary of Declaration of Independence
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Each year the Secretary of State of the United States sends letters of congratulations to countries around the world to commemorate their national or independence day celebrations. |
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This year, in light of the special friendship between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has sent a personalized video message on June 12 (taped in Washington, DC on June 11) to convey her greetings to all Filipinos on this important day of celebration. [Click here] to watch the video. |
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Program Highlights
PEACE AND SECURITY: Conflict Mitigation and Reconciliation
USAID Youth Camps Create 200 Advocates for Peace
USAID turned more than 200 in- and out-of-school youth into peace advocates in a five-day camp held in Koronadal City on May 25-29 and another in Zamboanga City on June 1-5, 2009. The youth came from different faiths and backgrounds across conflict-affected areas in Mindanao, Philippines. U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney who joined the campers in Zamboanga City, remarked that “Diversity is a strength. Understanding differences in religions, backgrounds and cultures and seeing opportunities in this diversity offers bigger chances of building a climate for peace and a better future and nation.” Ambassador Kenney later joined the campers in painting chairs and classrooms at a school in the city to strengthen their spirit of volunteerism and service.
U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney with campers from the Youth Camp for Peace and Understanding in Zamboanga City on June 4, 2009. More than 100 youth from the Zamboanga peninsula and island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi attended the five-day camp.
Innovative Tracking of Conflicts in the Southern Philippines
An interactive site on rido in Mindanao is now available online at http://ridomap.com/. The site provides statistical information, digital map and analyses on rido, the term commonly used to refer to violent community and kin-based feuding in some areas of Mindanao. The site also offers a downloadable version of the book “Rido: Clan Feuding and Conflict Management in Mindanao” (2007), which presents several case studies of rido in Mindanao. USAID provided support to The Asia Foundation, under the ongoing conflict mitigation project for the development of the online interactive website and the publication.
USAID Helps Launch the One Woman Initiative’s First Grant to the Philippines
On June 4, 2009, U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney formally launched the first grant to Southeast Asia by the One Woman Initiative (OWI), a joint public-private effort among U.S. private corporations, the U.S. Department of State and USAID, to empower women in Muslim countries to make a difference and to have a global impact. The Magbassa Kita (Let Us Read) Foundation, a Muslim NGO, is the first Southeast Asian organization to receive a grant of $124,500 for a capacity building project that will provide women with skills training and networking opportunities in the areas of conflict management and peace building. Ambassador Kenney also turned over more than 250 books from the USAID’s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project and Brother’s Brother Foundation to the Women’s Support Center to provide more learning opportunities for Muslim women in Zamboanga City.
ECONOMIC GROWTH : Infrastructure
USAID Facilitates Business Process Outsourcing Investments in the Conflict-Affected Areas of Mindanao
Assisted by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, a software development and website services firm with a global client base has established a business process outsourcing (BPO) facility and training center in partnership with the Iligan Institute of Technology of Mindanao State University (MSU). The 42-seat facility in the Iligan City campus houses the extension offices of the Hubport Group, which is providing local and international clients with BPO services through students engaged in its on-the-job-training program. Skills acquired by students during training include web design, animation, software design, transcription services and other BPO skills training. This is the first substantial private sector investment of its kind to be established in partnership with a leading university in a conflict-affected area in Mindanao.
The memorandum of agreement between the Hubport Group and MSU-IIT on establishing the BPO facility and providing on-the-job training to students was signed by (seated, l-r) Hubport human resource director Shane Maximo, Hubport chief operations officer Eric Manalastas, MSU-II Chancellor Marcelo Salazar, and Dr. Emmanuel Lagare, chairman of the Iligan Information and Technology Council; and witnessed by (standing, l-r) Mayor Lawrence Lluch Cruz of Iligan City, and Renne Subido, GEM deputy program manager for business growth
USAID Brings Power to the Poorest, Remotest Region in Mindanao
USAID, the Philippine Department of Energy and private energy sector firms that partner on the Alliance for Mindanao Off Grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) project celebrated the program’s seventh anniversary on June 9. AMORE has provided electric light to more than 8,000 households in 270 villages in conflict-affected and other areas of Mindanao. Twelve-year old Saima Sadule of Maguindanao Province spoke about how the electrification of her village has helped in her studies and in her winning quiz bee competitions in science and mathematics. During the gathering, which was also attended by representatives from private energy companies, development agencies and charitable foundations, Ambassador Kenney called on everyone to participate in the ongoing mission of bringing electricity to the poorest, remotest regions in Mindanao.
Ambassador Kristie Kenney gives 12-year old Saima Badule a token at a gathering of rural electrification stakeholders on June 10, 2009 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza. Saima’s elementary school in the village of Kabuling in Pandag, Maguindanao was one of the over 200 rural schools in Mindanao energized – and thereby, given access to distance education – by the AMORE Program since 2004.
ECONOMIC GROWTH : Environment
USAID and World Bank Conduct Joint Training of Trainers on Financing for Water Utilities
Thirty four participants from selected local government units (LGUs), multipurpose cooperatives, and government agencies involved in water regulation and financing were trained on the principles and concepts of the financial ring-fencing system. The ring fencing of water utility accounts (separating water utility operations from other expenditures) of LGUs and multi-purpose cooperatives is a major step in improving operational efficiency of water utilities. USAID’s Philippine Water Revolving Fund (PWRF) Program conducted the training in cooperation with the multi-donor funded Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) of World Bank. The WSP developed the training manual and USAID’s PWRF Program co-funded the series of trainings, as well as the pilot implementation of ring-fencing in two LGUs and two multi-purpose cooperatives.
ECONOMIC GROWTH : Trade and Investment
Foreign Business Chambers Urge Reforms
USAID, through its Local Implementation of National Competitiveness for Economic Growth (LINC-EG) Project, extended a grant to the AmCham for a project that seeks to promote improvement in the investment climate in the Philippines. In a policy paper released on June 1, 2009, the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) said that the Philippine Government should take advantage of the ongoing global economic downturn to enact reforms that will position the country as a prime investment destination once the global economy recovers. The Philippines currently only accounts for 3% of a $51.1-billion inflow into Southeast Asia. Warning against complacency in undertaking reforms, the foreign chambers called for the immediate passage of key economic legislation, construction of infrastructure; the improvement of the business climate by easing foreign investment laws, addressing corruption, and upgrading education. The JFC consists of the Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, European, Japanese, Korean, the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters, Inc. (PAMURI) and the American Chamber of Commerce Philippines (AmCham).
Members of the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines
USAID-assisted exhibitors at global food fair serve as conduits for Mindanao smallhold growers
USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program assisted firms which serve as vital conduits for key agricultural products from conflict areas in Mindanao to participate in Seoul Food and Hotel 2009, an international trade show held in South Korea. The exhibitor-firms reported actual sales of $234,000, as well as sales under negotiation worth $1,345,000, mainly for fresh, frozen and processed fruit products. Earlier, they had been introduced by the GEM Program to associations of smallhold farmers, consolidators, and individual growers based in Mindanao, which are now supplying them with raw materials and helping them meet the volume requirements of export markets.
The products of Albero Fruit Processing Corporation, a firm which is sourcing its raw materials from Mindanao smallhold growers and suppliers in conflict areas who were introduced to Albero by the GEM Program, drew buyers (left photo) at Seoul Food and Hotel 2009, an international trade show held in South Korea from May 13 to 16.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE : Health
USAID-supported Village Pharmacies Improve Access to Medicine in Remote Areas of Maguindanao
On June 4, 2009, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office donated 83 medicine packages worth US$530 each as starting capital to USAID-assisted village pharmacies (BnB or Botika ng Barangay) in remote areas of Maguindanao. The donation will help jumpstart the operations of 64 village pharmacies, the operators of which were trained by USAID in February 2009. Members of USAID-organized Community Health Action Teams (CHATs) and Barangay Health Workers were tapped as pharmacy operators and trained in business, logistics and financial management to ensure viability of operations while being community-friendly. Private entrepreneurs are almost non-existent in these areas because most entrepreneurs will not invest in areas they consider politically unstable and difficult to access. With the BnBs, people in remote villages will have better access to medicine and contraceptives.
Community Health Action Team (CHAT) members and Barangay Health Workers define their tasks as village pharmacy operators
USAID Helps Midwives Keep their Services in Top Form
On June 3-5, 2009, USAID trained 50 midwives to maintain the quality of their birthing homes as government-accredited facilities. The midwives received information on how to meet standards that would ensure their continued eligibility as subsidized providers of the government’s maternal care package. The midwives also received tips on how to expand their business through promotional materials and other business strategies. USAID support to these midwives helps them to expand the range of their services along with their client-base. In addition to having met the needs of over 13,000 new family planning acceptors, USAID-trained midwives from Laguna, Batangas, Cavite, and the National Capital Region have assisted about 14,000 deliveries in their birthing homes.
Midwife Rose Marie Camacho (first from left) recently quit her job as a government midwife to focus on her budding birthing home business. Mostly relying on “word of mouth” to promote her facility, Rosemarie is excited to learn better ways to promote her services to the community.
A Family Planning Coordinator for the National Capital Region inspires fellow midwives to always aim for the highest standard of quality care to protect the lives of mothers and their infants.
USAID Assists Tausug Communities in Sulu Prepare for Influenza A (H1N1) and Avian Influenza
Since Sulu Province is located along major sea routes, 49 USAID-trained Tausug local leaders, health workers and volunteers on Siasi Island ensured that their communities are equipped to prevent the entry of Avian Infuenza (AI) and Influenza A (H1N1), and can adequately respond in case infection occurs. In January 2009, USAID assisted the provincial and municipal health offices of Sulu draft local preparedness and response plans against AI. In May 2009, the plans were expanded to formulate quick emergency responses not just for AI but also for Influenza A (H1N1), measles and other infectious diseases. In the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), USAID has tapped its 2,830-strong Community Health Action Teams (CHATs) to serve as Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) and provide health education and disease outbreak reporting.
Tausug leaders, health workers and volunteers in Siasi Island listen to updates on the threat of Avian Influenza and Influenza A (H1N1).
INVESTING IN PEOPLE: Basic Education
USAID-AusAID “Best Practice” Partnership Improves Muslim Mindanao Children’s Reading Skills
Based on a recent evaluation, as much as 85 percent improvement was achieved in the reading levels of grade 2 students in the conflict-affected Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. This was made possible by the strong basic education partnership and collaboration between USAID and the Australian Agency for International Development.
Sittie, a grade 2 student in the ARMM, reads a book she received from USAID’s EQuALLS2 Project as part of the Reading Program.
USAID and the National Book Store Foundation Join Forces to Promote Reading in Mindanao Schools
A public-private partnership between USAID and the National Book Store Foundation will provide dictionaries and thesauri valued at US$750,000 to 6,000 USAID-supported public elementary school classrooms across Mindanao. Through USAID’s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project, these materials will address the critical need to develop vocabulary and improve the reading and comprehension skills of children and youth in Mindanao.
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney (middle), Philippines' Department of Education Undersecretary Wilma Labrador (right), and National Book Store founder Socorro Ramos sign a commitment to promote reading among Mindanao school children on April 3, 2009.
Governing Justly and Democratically: Good Governance
Reaping the Results of Improvements to the Business Climate in Mindanao
After 20 months of implementation since October 2007, USAID’s Transparent and Accountable Project: Phase 3 (TAG3) is reaping the results of its technical assistance to conflict-afflicted municipalities in Mindanao. 2009 collections of select municipalities from local business taxes and regulatory fees substantially rose from 2008 baselines. With the reduction of processing time for business permits, the number of business registrants also increased. USAID is helping 9 cities and 30 conflict-affected municipalities in Mindanao in streamlining business permitting and licensing processes, real property tax administration, investment promotions, human resources development, and management of economic enterprises and public services. Technical assistance includes policy advisory, education and training, innovations, and sharing of best practices among TAG3 local government recipients.
Mayor Amin reports Jolo’s accomplishments on business permitting and licensing in the sharing session.