Quick Facts
New Releases
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.
Program Highlights
GOVERNING JUSTLY AND DEMOCRATICALLY: Political Competition and Consensus-Building
COME, ELECTED: National Conference on Ensuring Successful Automation in 2010
USAID/Philippines recently supported the public forum “Come, Elect! A Citizen’s Conference on Ensuring Successful Automation in 2010”. The 120 attendees, mainly civil society members, participated in panel discussions and an action planning workshop. This forum was the first opportunity for many leaders and members of civil society organizations to observe first-hand how the national elections in May 2010 will be automated. It also provided them with an opportunity to ask questions about the technology and the specific equipment that will be used next year. The forum is part of broader USAID support for the 2010 Philippine national elections, a continuing effort that has built up the capacity of the Commission on Elections, improved media oversight of elections, and ensured more vigorous civil society monitoring of elections and political process.
Panelists Ramon Casiple of the Consortium on Electoral Reforms, Vince Lazatin of Transparency and Accountability Network and Tanya Hamada of Young Public Servants discuss the varying roles of civil society organizations in an automated election system. Moderator Atom Araullo of ABS-CBN Boto Mo Ipatrol Ko looks on.
GOVERNING JUSTLY AND DEMOCRATICALLY: Good Governance
USAID Sponsors First-ever Public Forum on a National Budget
Some 100 representatives from civil society organizations, business groups and legislators attended the July 13th public forum on the 2009 national budget of the Philippine Government in Mandaluyong City, Metro-Manila. The forum engaged the Congress, particularly the House Committee on Appropriations, in open dialogue on policy decisions that go into the design and passage of the 2009 national budget. Key issues discussed were lump sum appropriations and intelligence funds; legislative oversight; and budget allocations for health, education and climate change. The forum, organized by the USAID-supported Philippine National Budget Monitoring Project, promotes transparency and accountability of fiscal processes.
Congressman Junie Cua (third from left), chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, explains the elements of the 2009 General Appropriations Act. Other resource persons in the forum were (from left): former Budget Secretary and currently budget monitoring project Chief of Party Emilia Boncodin, former Congresswoman Dina Abad, and Atty. Santiago Dumlaoof the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE : Basic Education
USAID Strengthens Capacity of Local School Boards in Mindanao
USAID continued its work of assisting local school boards (LSBs) in Mindanao to become effective agents of better education at the grassroots level, with its training of the LSB of Tantangan, South Cotabato during July 25-28, 2009. Under USAID’s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project, the LSB learned education governance and management, education improvement planning, resource mobilization, and advocacy. It then identified the specific education needs of in-school and out-of-school children and youth in its covered communities and crafted a municipal education agenda to address such needs. LSBs are typically composed of school administrators, local government officials, and officers of local parent-teacher-community associations.
USAID Office of Education Project Management Specialist Aivan Amit (2nd from left) discusses education project activities with members of the local school board of Tantangan, South Cotabato during a capacity building session on July 27, 2009 in Cagayan de Oro City. The local school board members expressed greater understanding and appreciation of their role in enhancing community education.
USAID Equips Mindanao Schools with Electricity and Education Materials
USAID projects worked together to enhance basic education in remote, conflict-affected villages in Mindanao. The USAID-funded Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) Program installed solar electrification systems at three public elementary schools in three villages in Maguindanao province. The Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project expanded the benefits of the electrification by providing the schools with audio books, cassette players, and supplementary reference materials on
July 28-29, 2009. AMORE further complemented these materials with educational DVDs from partner ABS-CBN Foundation, along with DVD players, TV sets, multimedia equipment, and speakers. USAID is empowering Mindanao communities to rise from conflict and poverty through improved basic education and village electrification.
Schoolchildren from Lipao Elementary School in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao display some of the audio books, educational DVDs, and multimedia equipment they received from USAID’s EQuALLS2 and AMORE projects on July 29, 2009.
USAID and Microsoft Team Up in Technology for 100 Mindanao Teachers
USAID and Microsoft Philippines partnered to support the Department of Education’s strategic plan for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-enhanced professional development of teachers in a training workshop of the Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project from August 3-7, 2009. One hundred public elementary school teachers and administrators from Salug, Zamboanga del Norte were taught Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Encarta computer software, allowing them to prepare lesson plans, calculate and store grades in spreadsheets, and create instructional materials for improved school and classroom management. USAID will train 1,000 teachers in basic computer literacy across Mindanao by 2011 and provide computer equipment in 10 municipalities to develop technology expertise and allow the trained teachers to mentor at least 2,000 additional teachers.
Teachers from Salug, Zamboanga del Norte work on grading spreadsheets during a training session on Microsoft Excel. They appreciated the faster way of keeping track of their students’ performance in class.
USAID Partners with Community to Provide Water for Schoolchildren
USAID, through its Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project, provided a water system for 361 schoolchildren in Salug, Zamboanga del Norte through a Community Incentive Grant (CIG). The local school board, the parent-teacher-community association (PTCA), government units, and the Department of Education Division provided counterpart funds and construction materials. The schoolchildren no longer have to walk a kilometer at lunchtime to get drinking water from the community pump. USAID is providing US$741,000 worth of CIGs and project and financial management training to PTCAs in Mindanao until 2011 to address priority development needs that promote a positive learning environment.
Binoni Elementary School PTCA president Ladyluz Maglangit (left) washes her hands at the newly installed water pump in the school, as principal Celso Reambonanza (right) and barangay chairman Eldy Paghasian (middle) look on. The pump is part of the PTCA’s water system project that was completed last month with an EQuALLS2 community grant.
The school previously had no water source, and most of its students had to walk a kilometer at lunchtime to get drinking water from the nearest community water pump.
USAID Provides Students in Remote Mindanao Conflict-affected Areas Better Access to Books
From July 16-17, 2009, USAID’s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project opened its book center in Cotabato City to 144 teachers from 55 public elementary schools in remote, conflict-affected villages in North Cotabato. The teachers chose 24,000 free copies of English, science and math reference books and learning materials for their students. Ana Marie Corpuz, a grade five math teacher from Malingao Elementary School in Midsayap, summarized the project’s impact perfectly, saying “with the books, 50 students, who shared one math textbook borrowed from an elementary school three kilometers away from campus, now have better access to rich reference materials for higher-quality education.” US-based Brother’s Brother Foundation donates the books to EQuALLS2 as part of a public-private partnership.
Grade five math teacher Ana Marie Corpuz of Malingao Elementary School in Midsayap, North Cotabato is delighted with this book from USAID’s EQuALLS2 Project.
ECONOMIC GROWTH : Workforce Development
50 USAID-supported Out-of-School Youth from Mindanao Join U.S. Embassy’s SportsUnited Initiative
Fifty USAID-supported out-of-school youth (OSYs) from Zamboanga City and Basilan in Mindanao joined the U.S. Embassy’s SportsUnited basketball clinic on July 28, 2009 in Zamboanga City. SportsUnited is an international initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to expose non-elite youth to diverse cultures and to help them build their character and reach their full potential through sports. The 50 OSYs from Mindanao joined 150 other youth who had the opportunity to interact and do drill exercises with sports envoys Erik Spoelstra and David Fizdale, head coach and assistant coach, respectively, of the U.S.’s National Basketball Association (NBA) team Miami Heat; and Sue Wicks, assistant coach of St. Francis College in the U.S. The 50 OSYs are among the 105,000 OSYs from Mindanao that USAID’s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project is assisting through alternative learning systems and workforce development programs.
Sixteen-year-old Akruman Anamil (left), an out-of-school youth from Zamboanga City, plays basketball with Sue Wicks, one of the original members of the Women’s National Basketball Association in the U.S. Anamil recently attended the Basic Literacy and Life Skills Program of USAID’s EQuALLS2 Project.
USAID Trained 94 Alternative Learning Mentors for Out-of-School Children and Youth in the ARMM
USAID, through its Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project, trained 94 instructional managers (IMs) in developing the reading, writing, numeracy, and life skills of over 2,000 out-of-school children and youth (OSCYs) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao using alternative learning systems, during July 27-31, 2009. The IMs learned how to develop lessons plans, assess the performance of learners, adjust their lessons relative to the needs of learners, and mobilize local resources to support OSCY learning. USAID is providing better opportunities for OSCYs in areas affected by poverty and conflict, through alternative learning systems and livelihood training.
Experienced instructional managers mentor their ARMM counterparts to engage out-of-school children and youth during a five-day workshop held at the Pacific Heights Hotel in Cotabato City last July 27-31, 2009.
New U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to the Philippines Becomes Familiar with USAID Programs
Newly appointed U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to the Philippines, Leslie Bassett, visited Zamboanga City on July 24, 2009 where she witnessed first-hand, on-the-ground implementation of the 3D thrust (Defense, Diplomacy & Development). DCM Bassett held meetings with the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) as well as conducted project visits to various USAID Programs, specifically the Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills(EQuALLS2) and Growth in Equity for Mindanao (GEM). Ms. Bassett, together with USAID Deputy Mission Director Elzadia Washington interacted with 55 out-of-school youth (OSYs) who were attending the EQuALLS2 Project’s basic education accreditation and equivalency program and its building wiring installation training. These activities prepare OSYs for employment and/or livelihood opportunities. Ms. Bassett also visited EQuALLS2’s book center, one of three EQuALLS2 warehouses in Mindanao, which have stored and placed 1.3 million books and materials into schools in the region to date and will place another 500,000 books by 2011.
New U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to the Philippines Leslie Bassett looks at a wiring installation set-up during her visit to the EQuALLS2 Project’s Building and Wiring Installation training for out-of-school youth (OSYs) in Zamboanga City. Looking on is USAID Deputy Mission Director Elzadia Washington (right). The short-term skills training prepares OSYs to pursue employment and livelihood opportunities.
USAID Provides Mining Engineering Scholarships to Muslims from Conflict Areas
The Investments in Vocational /Elementary/Secondary/Tertiary Studies (INVESTS) Project of USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program provided 15 Muslim students with full college scholarships this year to complete degrees in mining engineering. All the INVESTS scholars are from under-represented communities in conflict-affected areas, including two women slated to become the first Muslim women mining engineers in the Philippines. This effort enhances economic prosperity in Mindanao while promoting responsible mining practices.
Among the 15 Mindanao Muslims awarded scholarships to complete mining engineering degrees by USAID’s GEM Program are (left photo, l-r) Jamil Matanog, Samer Makalilay, Musarapa Insiang and Haiza Pigkaulan, who are heading for Palawan State University; and (right photo, l-r), Raffy Torres, Anshawer Bara-acal, Jaynul-Ali Sambarani, Fahad Abantas, Abdul Azis Dimasar, and Anshamer Bara-acal, at the Cebu Institute of Technology.
ECONOMIC GROWTH : Agriculture
USAID Assists Growers, Processors, and Exporters of Banana Chips
To increase Mindanao’s export of selected commodities, USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program assisted KF Nutri Foods International to enter into a supply agreement with a processor based in a conflict-affected area (the processor obtains its raw material from GEM-assisted growers’ cooperatives composed of former Moro National Liberation Front combatants). KF Nutri Foods successfully marketed the banana chips and other commodities from Mindanao at recent trade shows in Taiwan and South Korea and is now looking at long-term relationships with the buyers.
USAID’s GEM Program assisted exporter KF Nutri Foods International in successfully marketing processed banana chips and other Mindanao commodities at the Seoul Food and Hotel 2009 trade show and at the Taipei International Food Show (left photo). GEM had earlier facilitated a supply agreement between KF Nutri Foods and the Magpet Agro-Industrial Resources Cooperative (MAGIRCO), a processor in conflict-affected North Cotabato (center photo) which now delivers five metric tons of semi-processed banana chips weekly to KF Nutri Foods. To ensure that MAGIRCO had a regular supply of raw bananas, GEM had linked it up with growers like the ICLAS Multipurpose Cooperative (right photo), comprised of former combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE : Health
More Resources Committed to Health for Internally Displaced Persons, Reinforcing Ceasefire in Muslim Mindanao
The recent cessation of hostilities between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should be bolstered by the additional $8.5 million the Philippine Government has earmarked to implement the five-year Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)-wide Investment Plan for Health (AIPH). The AIPH, formulated through USAID assistance, was launched at the USAID-supported ARMM Health Assembly held July 14 to16 in Davao City. The funds will dramatically improve the health of mothers and children in the region, including the provision of health services to internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning to their homes.
Maguindanao Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Elizabeth Samama (second from right) receives a check worth more than $38,000 from DOH Secretary Francisco Duque (first from right) in support to the ARMM-wide Investment Plan for Health. Other officials (from left) are Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali, ARMM Governor Zaldy Uy Ampatuan, and Mayor Datu Saudi Ampatuan Jr., President of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines.
Over 500 ARMM health personnel and service providers joined the Health Assembly
USAID Helps Hospital Upgrade Standards for Mothers
To encourage more women in Negros Oriental to give birth at health facilities and be assisted by trained professionals, USAID facilitated focus groups with Bayawan District Hospital’s clients to discuss hospital conditions. As a result of the consultations, the district hospital will mobilize resources to provide better visual and auditory privacy of patients in the examining room, after-hours laboratory services, and bigger beds at the maternity ward to allow mothers to comfortably breastfeed babies. In 2008, only 40 percent of the deliveries in Negros Oriental were done in facilities and only 60 percent were assisted by skilled birth attendants, contributing to 28 maternal deaths and 116 infant deaths.
Chief Nurse, Mrs. Helen Gagaa, engages relatives of patients in a focus group discussion to establish better facility standards for the hospital.
Client-focused facility standards will benefit more mothers and children in Negros Oriental.
Chamber of Commerce Leads Efforts to Develop Healthy and Productive Workers in Cebu Province
On July 18, 2009, USAID’s private sector health project culminated its five-year-long assistance effort in Cebu Province with the launch of an innovative workplace program catering to the health needs of workers in small and medium-sized companies. With support from USAID, the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) developed the “Gearing Up for Organizational Leadership and Development” or GOLD program. GOLD utilizes inexpensive interventions introduced by USAID such as on-site visits by USAID-trained accredited midwives, referral to public and private health service outlets, and workplace information dissemination promoting family health. Some 7,200 employees of the more than 200 member-companies of MCCI are expected to benefit from the GOLD program.
Employees of Makoto Metal Technology benefit from the USAID-assisted GOLD program. Since the program began, the proportion of employees using modern contraceptives has increased from 13 percent to 33 percent.
USAID presents a certificate of appreciation to the local health department for their continued support to the private sector health project during the project close-out and launch of the GOLD program.
USAID Helps Fight TB Out at Sea off the Coast of Zamboanga City
USAID assistance has linked sardine companies with local health services to ensure continued supply of tuberculosis (TB) drugs for fishermen working on fishing vessels. Zamboanga City’s fishing industry supplies 70 percent of sardines in the country, a major contributor to the overall and local economy for Philippine consumption as well as export revenue, employing some 15,000 sea- and land-based workers. USAID’s anti-TB assistance contributes to the well-being of fisher folk and thus to the health of the country’s fishing industry.
USG assistance through the TB LINC project linked sardine fishing fleets and canning factories to the city health office (top right and left photos). TB drugs are supplied to fishing boats out at sea for as long as six months so fishermen can maintain and complete their treatment regimens (bottom left and bottom right).
Political Will Plus Community Volunteers Boost TB Control in Negros Occidental
The USAID-supported Barangay Health Enforcers of Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental, a mix of volunteers and village officials provide health awareness and education on TB and refer possible TB patients to the local health center. With the support of the Town Mayor, the Health Enforcers began operating last March and have since referred about 80 people with TB-like symptoms, of which 27 were diagnosed as positive. In the nearby town of Toboso, the mayor who read USAID-assisted research on TB health-seeking behavior, sent local health workers to a USAID-organized training course on sputum smear microscopy. Over the course of less than one year, the provision of outreach TB services in far-flung barangays (townships) has resulted in increased TB case detection from 35 to 73 percent.
The Health Enforcers of Don Salvador Benedicto municipality in Negros Occidental being sworn in by Mayor Lawrence Marxlen de la Cruz (upper left) and conducting TB health education through an interactive quiz on misconceptions about TB. (file photo, lower left).
USAID-trained Volunteers Help Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS in Quezon City
Nelson (27), Yda (29) and Jay (21), three USAID-trained peer educators go about their daily routine of reaching out to entertainment establishments in Quezon City to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV/AIDS. They assist in promoting the Social Hygiene Clinics’ services among entertainment establishments in the five districts of the city to increase the utilization of the clinics’ services and educate sex workers on ways to prevent the spread of STI/HIV/AIDS. In a span of four months, they have visited communities and entertainment establishments to reach approximately 1,400 sex workers.
USG Assistance Brings TB Control to Poor Communities in Zamboanga de Sibugay
With USG assistance, a simple, cost–effective strategy of training barangay (village) health workers and midwives in sputum smear examinations has improved access to TB control services for the more than 82,000 people living in three island municipalities in Zamboanga de Sibugay. USAID support also led to the establishment of three functional TB laboratories, in addition to the lone existing TB laboratory in this poorest health district of the province. As a result, the number of people with TB in these areas who are properly diagnosed (case detection rate) has more than doubled, from 20 percent in 2007 to 50 percent in 2008.
USG assistance through the TB LINC project (1st photo, showing TB – related training) brought TB control to MaTaOl, the poorest health district of Zamboanga de Sibugay (2nd photo). As a result, people from poor communities like this fisherman, are now able to access TB diagnostic and treatment services (3rd photo).
ECONOMIC GROWTH : Environment
Cebu and Davao Cities Pledge Continued Support to USAID's Concluded Energy and Clean Air Project
USAID’s Energy and Clean Air Project (ECAP) held separate close out activities for the school-based project area offices (PAO) in Cebu and Davao on July 20 and 22, respectively. The University of San Carlos, which served as ECAP’s PAO in Cebu, along with other ECAP partners in the local government, academe and civil society pledged to continue supporting the project’s initiatives. Through ECAP’s technical assistance to Cebu City, the local government has been implementing ordinances on Anti-Smoke Belching and Energy Efficiency. Furthermore, the Cebu City government committed to continue the Air Shed Governing Board (ASGB) Plan for activities under the Air Quality Management Fund. The Cebu ASGB was convened with ECAP’s support to improve air quality management and climate change mitigation/adaptation.
In Davao City, ECAP’s partner Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) has pledged to create the Center for Energy Research and Development at the University as a result of ECAP’s technical assistance. Also, the Davao City local government pledged to support the passage of the Ordinance on Energy Efficiency and Conservation and pursue the completion of the City's Local Energy Plan, which ECAP helped develop. Both Cebu and Davao project offices formed their own Clean Air Youth Alliances (CAYA) who committed to participate in activities supporting environmental awareness and preservation. CAYA is composed of youth organizations from major universities in their respective cities. The establishment of CAYA has heightened the involvement of youth and members of the academia towards improved governance and support for energy and clean air reforms.
Energy and Clean Air Project (ECAP) USAID project manager Lily Gutierrez and Chief of Party Renato Goco receive a plaque of appreciation during the close-out activity at the University of San Carlos (USC) Cebu-Project Area Office.
USAID Lauded for Rural Electrification Efforts in the Philippines
On August 3, 2009, the U.S. Agency for International Development was recognized by the Philippine National Electrification Administration (NEA) for its continued technical assistance during the International Convention on Rural Electrification held at the SMX Convention Center. The “Green Light at 40” convention marked the National Electrification Administration's 40th year anniversary. Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes and the Board of NEA bestowed an award plaque which cites USAID's "significant contribution in setting the momentum of program implementation". The award also cites the "economic assistance packages amounting to $117 million that greatly benefited the many phases of construction, system installation, capacity building and other vital rural electrification projects." USAID helped spearhead the rural electrification program of the Philippines by providing technical assistance and loans in the 1960's. USAID continues to provide technical assistance to the country’s rural electrification program through the Alliance for Mindanao Off Grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) project, Energy and Clean Air Project, and the Sustainable Energy Development Project.
Baguio City Pledges Continued Support to USAID's Concluded ECAP Project
On July 16th, the Energy and Clean Air Project (ECAP) turned over its Baguio Project Area Office (PAO) to the University of the Cordilleras (UC) as part of their project close out. ECAP which began in 2004 in Baguio City, gained high praise from Mayor Rey Bautista, for USAID's support for Baguio's clean air campaign including the passage of the city's key Anti-Smoke Belching ordinance which enabled the city to intensify its roadside apprehensions and increase air quality. UC developed a curriculum that integrates clean energy and air quality to increase student awareness of air pollution's impact on the economy. The Clean Air Youth Alliance likewise pledged to continue their commitment to pursue clean air advocacy. The Energy and Clean Air Network of the Academe, a coalition of university professors and academics, will formally seek legal status to strengthen their campaign to draw public support for actions against air pollution. Baguio City and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which acquired new air pollution detection equipment with ECAP's support, will continue working together to "bring back the scent of pines". As the nation’s designated summer capital, which draws a large tourist contingent yearly, Baguio City’s ECAP efforts will not only become one of the cornerstones of Clean Air initiatives in the country but likewise boost tourist revenues.
Baguio City Mayor Rey Bautista receiving a plaque of appreciation from ECAP
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 : Financial Sector
USAID/Philippines Deepens Mobile Phone Banking Services through Training
Continuing to build on the success of its mobile phone banking initiative, the USAID-supported Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (MABS) Program promotes the use of SMS (short message service) or Text Message Alerts Service via the mobile phones of rural bank clients.
In July 2009, MABS conducted a series of training events to strengthen the quality and reach of mobile phone banking services in the Philippines. For the first training event, representatives from rural banks learned how to send and manage SMS alerts for various bank services to their registered clients. The SMS Mobile Phone Banking Services include loan approval notifications, loan payment and commitment savings reminders, time deposit notifications, personalized greetings, promotional offers, marketing campaigns, client feedback, and other important informational messages. Through this service, rural banks are able to reach their clients at a very low cost and the service is available through all three major mobile networks in the Philippines. Sending reminders through SMS/Text is a potentially effective tool to reach out to existing and potential clients and improve clients’ repayment rate as well as remind them to make contributions to their savings accounts.
A second MABS Technical Resource Specialists (MABSTeRS) training course was designed to prepare the participants to serve as in-house trainers and instructors of their respective banks. It consisted of a refresher course on MABS best practices and training on effective presentation and training methods. MABSTeRS are selected senior and mid-level officers of MABS participating banks who are trained to serve as their bank’s in-house trainers. Trainings conducted by MABSTeRS will replace the previous training courses offered by MABS as banks develop the capacity to train their own staff. Training and accrediting a pool of technical resource specialists is one of the strategies that the MABS Program uses to promote and institutionalize the MABS Approach and best practices in participating banks. Since 2003, the MABS Program has trained 142 MABSTeRS.
For the third training, MABS conducted a refresher course on client selection, credit reports and cash-flow analysis for its participating bank, First Agro-Industrial Bank (FAIR Bank). Thirty-two staff members and officers attended the training. By the end of the training, the bank’s product heads each came up with their individual action plans for the improvement of their bank’s microfinance operations.
MABSTeRS workshop participants review their training materials.
Participants from First Agro-Industrial Bank participate in MABS training.
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
ECONOMIC GROWTH : Infrastructure
USAID-built Seaweed Solar Dryer Boosts Income of Former Combatants in Mindanao
Thirty-seven former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants, all members of a growers’ association engaged in seaweed farming in Kabuukan, Panglima Tahil, Sulu Province, have improved the quality of their dried seaweed with the help of a solar dryer constructed by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program. The concrete stilt solar dryer, measuring 10 meters by 15 meters, has enabled the Peace and Development Community (PDC-Kabuukan) Multi-Sectoral Association to dry the harvests from their production area of 70 hectares of near-shore water more quickly and thoroughly. This has improved the quality of their product, which they can now sell at a higher price. Previously, association members had to take turns drying their seaweed harvests on nets and plastic mats spread on a small and dilapidated bamboo platform, which resulted in a lower quality of dried seaweed. The U.S. Government, through USAID’s GEM Program, has to date constructed 70 barangay (community) infrastructure projects, including solar dryers, in Sulu province, and will construct another 900 throughout the conflict-affected areas of Mindanao in the next four years.
Seaweed growers prepare to dry their seaweed harvest (right photo) on the newly completed concrete solar dryer constructed by USAID’s GEM Program under its Barangay Infrastructure Project (BIP) in the community of Kabuukan, in Panglima Tahil, Sulu.
Building Bridges, Boosting The Local Economy In Central Mindanao
USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program recently completed the design and construction of a new concrete barangay (village) bridge across Marungo Creek in Barangay Sefegefen, one of the 23 villages in the municipality of North Upi in Maguindanao Province, Central Mindanao. The bridge provides the approximately 1,200 residents of Sefegefen-- as well as residents of nearby communities--with improved access to services and establishments in the North Upi town center and to schools. For years, during periods of heavy rain, residents had to contend with a muddy, slippery culvert crossing. Often, the impassable condition of the crossing meant that residents had to wait for four to five hours for the water to subside before they could cross safely. Traders and farmers were hampered in delivering their goods to the town center, and school children and teachers were left stranded. The new barangay bridge allows the faster transport of farm products to market, thus helping to boost the local economy. The U.S. government, through USAID’s GEM Program, has constructed almost 1,000 infrastructure projects in conflict affected areas of Mindanao over the past few years and will construct another 900 during the next four years.
The old culvert crossing that turned muddy and treacherous during heavy rains at Marungo Creek has been replaced by a 2-barrel concrete barangay bridge providing safer access for the 1,157 residents of Barangay Sefegefen and five adjacent villages in North Upi in the province Maguindanao. The bridge was constructed by USAID’s GEM Program as part of its Barangay Infrastructure Project (BIP) component.
PEACE AND SECURITY: Conflict Mitigation and Reconciliation
Young Muslim Leaders Develop Mindanao Peace and Development Action Plan
Over the past four years, 168 young people from Mindanao’s conflict-affected areas have completed the USAID-sponsored Congressional Internship Program for Young Muslim Leaders. On July 18th, program alumni met and discussed how to more effectively contribute to peace-building and economic development in local communities, a timely undertaking given the recent spate of bombings in Mindanao.
Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney (center) led the group cheer at the opening of the workshop for Mindanao peace and development held in Davao City with alumni of the Congressional Internship Program for Young Muslim Leaders (CIPYML), which is managed by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program. With Ambassador Kenney are (middle row, left to right): Robert Barnes, USAID Economic Growth Advisor; Janet Lopoz, Executive Director of the Mindanao Economic Development Council; and Rodolfo Vicera, Director General of the Congressional Planning and Budget Department of the Philippine House of Representatives.