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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
PEACE AND SECURITY: Conflict Mitigation and Reconciliation
USAID Fosters Peace-Building Youth Leadership in Mindanao
USAID sponsored fifty (50) in and out-of-school youth (OSY) from conflict-affected Basilan, Mindanao to attend a five-day Young Leaders Camp in Zamboanga City. The diverse group included Muslims and Christians, with an equal percentage of boys and girls, and is an initiative of the USAID-funded Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project, implemented by Education and Livelihood Skills Alliance (ELSA) and the Ayala Foundation. Key peace-building activities included civic leadership, good governance, democratic process, collaboration, cooperation, and hard skills like project management and proposal development. The camp increases the awareness of young leaders on local issues, particularly those that are education-related, and encourages the youth to actively contribute towards positive change in their communities.
Tom Crehan (right) of speaks with teenagers (l-r) John Roderick Tolentino, Cecille Marie Villarin, and Carlito Hipolito Layos, to better understand their unique backgrounds and ideas on how they can help build more peaceful and healthy communities in Mindanao.
ECONOMIC GROWTH - Infrastructure
Office of the Director of Foreign Assistance Official visits USAID Projects in Zamboanga City
On November 13, 2008, Nicholas Higgins, Senior Country Coordinator from the Office of the Director of Foreign Assistance visited USAID-funded projects in Zamboanga City. One of the sites visited, the Taguiti Bridge, replaced an old spillway that was unable to accommodate the water passing through it during heavy rains. Now that the bridge is in place, the school’s students no longer have to wade through the Tigbalabag Creek in order to get to school, and passenger jeepneys, motorcycles and cargo trucks carrying farm produce can travel more easily to the commercial centers in downtown Zamboanga. The U.S. government, through USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, has constructed 25 infrastructure projects in Zamboanga City and will construct another 1,000 throughout the conflict-affected areas of Mindanao during the next four years.
(left photo) (l-r) The Taguiti Bridge provides a reliable, year-round facility for the transport of people and products passing through the barangay road.
(right photo) GEM Program Manager Dr. Charles Feibel, Nicholas Higgins and Kristin Bork of USAID’s Office of Health, walk to the Taguiti Elementary School, students of which are among the beneficiaries of the construction of the Taguiti Bridge, with teachers Jeahanne Abdulla, Corazon Buhayan and Norlilia Ajijun.
USAID Regional Legal Advisor visits Cotabato City
On November 6th, 2008, USAID’s Regional Legal Advisor, Tanya Nunn, visited USAID projects in Cotabato City. One of the sites visited was the Tamontaka 2 Water Supply System, a project constructed by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program. Due to the limited area served by the Metro Cotabato Water District (MCWD), residents of Barangay Tamontaka 2 in Cotabato City used to purchase water from private suppliers and peddlers. The cost of water, which was about PhP.09 to PhP.10 per liter, was expensive for the residents who were also concerned that the water might be contaminated because of the prevalence of water-borne diseases in the community.
In response to these concerns, USAID, through the GEM Program, built approximately 2.3 kms of transmission pipelines and 11 communal faucets, effectively expanding the service area of the MCWD to serve more of the 1,856 residents of Tamontaka 2. The expanded water system provides the community with potable and safe drinking water through the MCWD. The Water District treats its water by chlorine injection and conducts bacteriological water tests every 15 days so water quality is assured. The availability of a convenient water supply has also helped improve the sanitation practices in the community. With the latest MCWD tariff rate of PhP184 per 10 cu m minimum consumption, or PhP0.02 per liter, residents save at least PhP0.07 per liter. To date, GEM has constructed 28 infrastructure projects in Cotabato City and 884 projects in other conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. It will construct another 1,000 projects during next 4 years.
(left photo) Noel Ruiz, GEM’s Deputy Chief of Party, briefs Tanya Nunn about the Tamontaka 2 Water System.
(right photos) The photo shows one of the transmission piplelines installed by GEM in Barangay Tamontaka 2.
U.S., RP Partner to boost Tawi-Tawi Transport Service
On October 21, Paul Jones, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy and Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali led the groundbreaking events for the Sanga-Sanga (Bongao) Airport Improvement and the Tawi-Tawi Bridge-Road Partnership projects, with Brigadier General Reynaldo Ramirez of the Western Mindanao Command, Undersecretary Nabil Tan of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Bongao Mayor Albert Que, USAID Mission Director Jon Lindborg and Engr. Danilo Ong, Director for Planning and Programming of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The airport improvement project will extend the runway from 1,611 meters to 1,930 meters and widen it to a standard 30 meters, to allow the landing of larger aircrafts used by major domestic carriers. The bridge-road project will directly link Sanga-Sanga Island, where the airport is located, with the main island of Tawi-Tawi. Both projects are partnerships among the Tawi-Tawi provincial government, the national and ARMM government agencies and USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program. USAID has constructed 48 infrastructure projects in Tawi-Tawi and over 800 in the ARMM and other conflict–affected areas in Mindanao.
DCM Paul Jones speaks to the residents of Tawi-Tawi during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Sanga-Sanga Airport Runway Improvement Project.
Bongao Mayor Albert Que, Usec. Nabil Tan, DCM Paul Jones, Gov. Sadikul Sahali, USAID Mission Director Jon Lindborg, Danilo Ong of DPWH-ARMM and USAID’s Robert Barnes break ground for the Tawi-Tawi Bridge-Road Partnership Project in Tawi-Tawi.
ECONOMIC GROWTH: Microenterprise
Colombians Learn Mobile Phone Banking from the Philippine Experience
As a pioneer in mobile phone banking for microfinance, the Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (MABS) shared the Program’s firsthand knowledge and experience to a Colombian delegation. Colombian banks and other financial institutions have recently begun offering mobile phone banking and wanted to expand and deepen its implementation in the country. The exposure and study visit was organized by USAID/Colombia’s More Investment for Sustainable Development (MIDAS), a program which provides technical assistance to banks engaged in offering microfinance services in Colombia.
The study group consisted of microfinance, banking, and technology experts from the Colombian Ministry of Finance; Banca de las Oportunidades; the Compartel program of the country’s Ministry of Telecommunications; Credibanco, which operates Visa in Colombia; Redeban, which operates the country’s Mastercard franchise; the Bankers Association of Colombia; and Bancolombia, which is the country’s largest bank.
Mobile phone banking, developed under the MABS Program, enables banks to increase operating efficiency, lower costs and serve microenterprise clients in hard to reach areas
RBAP President Tomas Gomez IV (front, center) and MABS Chief of Party John Owens (back, center) with the Colombian microfinance exposure trip delegation as organized by USAID/Colombia’s MIDAS program.
ECONOMIC GROWTH: Clean, Productive Environment
Biogas System Helps Farm Owners Convert Hog Waste to Electricity
C TRADE, an American renewable energy corporation and member of the USAID supported Philippine Sanitation Alliance (PSA), inaugurated a biogas to energy system at PS Farm in Lipa City, Batangas on November 15, 2008. The facility is one of three biogas digester systems recently constructed by C TRADE in Batangas using a build-operate-transfer financing scheme. Over 200 guests, including many interested farm owners, received information on biogas technology, and had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with regulatory compliance officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA). The biodigester installed by C TRADE processes and treats animal waste to produce biogas (methane) thus reducing the pollution load in nearby rivers and lakes. The biogas is collected and used to run electric generators that provide cheap electricity to the farm owner. The leftover waste sludge or solids are dried and processed into organic fertilizer. C TRADE is one of many partners in the PSA project supporting participating local government units , including private sector partners such as hotels, restaurants and farm owners develop appropriate wastewater treatment systems using low cost and maintenance technologies.
USAID improves ablution facility for worshippers in Marawi City mosque
“Cleanliness is half of faith,” commented Ustadz Omar Benito’s as he inspected the newly upgraded ablution (ritual cleansing) facility behind the Masjid Addawah Al-Islamie in Barangay Dimalna, Marawi City during a turn-over ceremony on October 22, 2008. The refurbished facility includes a reliable water supply, improvements in the drainage system, and separate cubicles for women. These improvements will benefit more than 300 worshipping families who in the past had to walk to a nearby river or hire trucks to bring water to the mosque for their cleansing rituals before praying. As part of its sanitation and waste management improvement program support for Marawi City, USAID’s Environmental Governance Project provided a grant to the Marawi State University (MSU) for the renevotation of the mosque's ablution facility. MSU is a major proponent of Marawi City’s sanitation and waste management program, and hopes to tap the potential of the religious sector for behavior change in sanitation and waste management.
A prayer outside Masjid Addawah Al-Islamie opens the turnover ceremony of the mosque's ablution facility on October 22, 2008 in Marawi City. Improving sanitation facilities in mosques has resulted in the religious sector's participation in the city government's programs for solid waste management.
USG Announces Support to the Coral Triangle Initiative
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney stated at the October 23 second Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Senior Official’s Meeting held Manila that the U.S. Government would provide $40 million in support of the international effort by six nations and their partners to save the Coral Triangle, the world’s greatest expanse of mangrove, coral reef and fish biodiversity. The Coral Triangle is under threat from pollution, unsustainable fishing practices, and climate change. The new USG assistance includes State and USAID-funded grants to a consortium of NGOs led by World Wildlife Fund (and including Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy). An interagency working group will coordinate USG assistance to this important regional initiative.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE: Health
Two business groups in Bohol secure returns on investments in family health
A year after setting up workplace family health programs for their employees, two business groups in Bohol have secured ample returns from their investments. The Bohol Quality Corporation saved as much as $1.50 for every two cents invested in its family health program serving 2,500 workers. The Alturas Group of Companies saved one dollar for every two cents invested in its program for 7,800 workers. The estimated savings come from decreases in number of unplanned pregnancies among workers or their spouses, and corresponding decreases in lost days for maternity and paternity leaves. These companies received assistance in 2007 from USAID for setting up workplace health programs. Linking company clinics with USAID-supported private practice midwives operating within Bohol has greatly improved workers’ access to quality information and services on family health.
Angelie Nalupa, who is a daily wage earner in the BQ Mall, no longer takes one whole day off from work for her prenatal check-ups. Now she can readily get her check-ups at the BQ clinic.
World Food Day Shines Light on Health Needs of Children
World Food Day and Preschoolers’ Health Week were celebrated throughout the Philippines during the month of October. U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney visited post-typhoon resettlement communities in Camalig, Albay province to participate in distribution of porridge fortified with iron for children at the local health fair. Activities focused on providing basic health services to children ages below 5 years and their families. Over 800 families benefited from the USAID-supported health fairs in the Luzon and Visayas regions that promoted fortified foods, vitamin A and micronutrient supplementation, together with other services for deworming, immunization, child injury prevention, promotion of breastfeeding, birth spacing, and maternal health care. Highlights from the month include radio spots developed with USAID technical assistance and aired in Capiz by the local government to promote child health.
Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney hands out iron-fortified porridge to children in Camalig village.
Children line up for vitamin A supplementation.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE: Education
USAID-AusAID partnership mainstreams Madrasah education in Mindanao
USAID’s partnership with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) produced results as six private Islamic elementary schools integrated English, science, and math subjects into their basic Madrasah curriculum and were awarded with ‘permits to operate’ in the conflict affected areas of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. USAID, through its Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) and AusAID’s Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) projects, provided the schools training, professional consultations, and educational materials which resulting in the accreditation from the Philippine’s Department of Education (DepED). USAID and AusAID jointly assisted to integrate English, science, and math in the basic Madrasah curriculum into 20 identified pilot Islamic schools in Mindanao. Earlier this year, the EQuALLS2 / BEAM partnership developed and conducted a survey which determined the status and needs of Madrasah education.
GDA Partnership Produces Results and New Classrooms in Mindanao
US Deputy Chief of Mission to the Philippines, Paul Jones, led the inauguration of a new two-classroom building in Panglima Arasia Elementary School in Tawi Tawi, Mindanao, on October 21, 2008. The project is jointly funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Petron Foundation and implemented through the Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project. USAID and Petron will construct 120 and rehabilitate 480 classrooms in the next three years to help alleviate classroom shortages and improve access to basic education in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao. As of October 2008, 12 new classrooms have been constructed and 42 have been refurbished by the project. New and refurbished classrooms will be provided with water, electricity, desks, teachers’ tables and chairs, blackboards, cabinets, fans, clocks, and toilets.
Children of Tawi-Tawi, Mindanao and Paul Jones, US Deputy Chief of Mission to the Philippines, celebrate the inauguration and opening of a new two-room classroom, built by USAID and Petron Foundation.
MILLENIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT: Philippines Threshold Program
Ombudsman, RIPS, BIR & BOC study new asset disclosure system
More than 120 field investigators and staff of the Office of the Ombudsman and the Philippine Department of Finance’s Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS), Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) undertook orientation training on the new features of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) – a mandatory, annual & sworn declaration of a public official’s assets and net worth. The threshold program supported the implementation of the training program and publication of a manual.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) amended the SALN form and system to plug legal loopholes, which were used by public officials in the past to hide their assets. The amendments will take effect possibly in 2009. The SALN is a tool for lifestyle check investigations, prosecution of public officials for corruption and recovery of ill-gotten wealth.
RIPS investigators compare the old and new asset disclosure forms in one of the case study sessions of the training.