NEDA to cut red tape in donor projects
Friday, 02 July 2010 00:00
By Darwin G. Amojelar Senior Reporter

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) plans to cut the process in approving foreign-funded infrastructure projects.
“We will try to cut down on processing time because that’s actually expensive in the long-run, but not to the point of undermining quality. Just make sure you don’t cut corners. What you try to do is speed up the process,” Cayetano Paderanga, the newly appointed socioeconomic planning secretary, told reporters on Thursday.  read more
 

NEDA HIGHLIGHTS AGRICULTURE AS KEY TO SUSTAIN EMPLOYMENT
NEDA PRESS RELEASE
6/24/2010 2:56:13 PM
Employment slightly improves in April 2010
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) underscored the importance of agriculture in the sustainability of employment opportunities as employment in April grew slightly by 1.2 percent from a year ago level and unemployment rate increased even alongside election spending and global economic recovery. read more
 

NEDA INITIATES EVALUATION OF AID EFFECTIVENESS
NEDA PRESS RELEASE
6/23/2010 3:24:56 PM

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) recently met with representatives of other government agencies, bilateral and multilateral aid agencies as well as civil society and the academe to start the assessment of aid effectiveness in the Philippines in line with the 2005 Paris Declaration. read mode
 

Japan commits P13.5-B in ODA for policy reform, climate change and health
March 16, 2010 10:06 am

MANILA, March 16 — Japan’s Ambassador to Manila Makoto Katsura and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo on Monday signed and exchanged notes for two official development loans and three grant aid projects totaling over Yen 26 billion (about P13.5 billion). read more
 

NEDA to improve monitoring of ODA projects
By Iris C. Gonzales (The Philippine Star) Updated December 10, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The National Economic and development Authority (NEDA) will improve the monitoring of projects funded through official development assistance (ODA) from multilateral agencies. read more
 

$37.92B ODA over 20 years failed to promote welfare--UP prof
By Veronica Uy
March 25, 2008

MANILA, Philippines -- The $37.92-billion in foreign aid to the Philippines over the last 20 years has “largely failed in its mission” to promote the welfare of Filipinos, a University of the Philippines (UP) professor said Tuesday. read more

NGOs: RP foreign aid system in crisis due to 'wasteful' ODA projects
GMANews.TV
March 25, 2008 | 11:45 AM

MANILA, Philippines - A number of anomalies that involved development aid projects such as the botched $329.4-million National Broadband Network deal has put the Philippines' foreign aid system in crisis. read more
 

JOINT PRESS RELEASE
26 March 2008
Civil society groups present “Citizens’ Report” on ODA to PDF
Debt activists urge donor countries and agencies to stop providing Arroyo loans and aid

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga—A day after civil society organizations finalized their “Citizens’ Report on Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the Philippines,” around 100 debt and development activists led by the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) and ODA Watch conducted a protest action during the formal opening of the 2008 Philippine Development Forum (PDF) Wednesday at the Fontana Convention Center, Clark Freeport here. The Philippine Government and the World Bank (WB) jointly organized the said event. read more

Government, foreign donors told: Be transparent
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
Correspondent
Business Mirror
March 26, 2008

CIVIL-society groups on Monday launched a parallel Philippine Development Forum (PDF) and issued a resounding call to both government and foreign donors for transparency and accountability in the identification of loan-assisted development programs and projects for the Philippines, amid reported rampant graft and corruption involving official development assistance (ODA) funds.
The People’s Forum was launched a day ahead of the two-day government-sponsored PDF to be held in Clark Field, Pampanga, on March 26 and 27, among government and ODA-donor agencies. read more
 

Gov’t seeks P200B infrastructure aid, promises no graft
Reuters
March 27, 2008

CLARK, Philippines -- The government has asked funding agencies and the private sector on Thursday to finance over P200 billion ($4.88 billion) in infrastructure, and promised it would not tolerate corruption in the projects.

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya told reporters the government would come up with procurement rules that should allay fears of foreign agencies about rigged contracts. read more

Gov’t seeks P200B infrastructure aid, promises no graft
Reuters
March 27, 2008

CLARK, Philippines -- The government has asked funding agencies and the private sector on Thursday to finance over P200 billion ($4.88 billion) in infrastructure, and promised it would not tolerate corruption in the projects.

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya told reporters the government would come up with procurement rules that should allay fears of foreign agencies about rigged contracts. read more

Some 120 protesters picket Clark
By Tonette Orejas
Central Luzon Desk
Inquirer Headlines / Regions
March 26, 2008

CLARK, PAMPANGA—Around 120 protesters picketed the main gate of the Clark Freeport minutes before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo delivered the keynote speech at the Philippine Development Forum Wednesday.

Members of the Freedom from Debt Coalition and Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD) hoisted placards and streamers bearing the messages “No aid for illegitimate GMA government,” “Cancel illegitimate debts of illegitimate government,” “No aid for trade,” and “No tied aid.” read more

Press Release
Senate of the Philippines
LOREN SEEKS SENATE INQUIRY INTO ODA, 'TIED' LOANS
November 11, 2007

Sen. Loren Legarda yesterday filed a resolution asking the Senate to conduct an inquiry into the procurement and implementation of foreign official development assistance (ODA) loans in order to determine their impact on national and local development. read more
 

PRESS RELEASE
Week of Action against Illegitimate Debt, Unfair trade, and Worsening Poverty kicks off today
14 October 2007

MANILA, Philippines – Debt, trade, peasant, women, and environmental activists here kick off today week-long protests and creative actions against debt, poverty, and international financial institutions (IFIs), particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – World Bank (WB) which hold their annual fall meeting in Washington, DC on 19-21 October. read more
 

Press Release
ROXAS: REVIEW USE OF ODA, EVALUATION OF PROJECTS HIGH FOREIGN RESERVES HURTING OFWs, EXPORTERS
October 19, 2007

With recent moves by the government to review the foreign borrowing policy in light of complaints from exporters and overseas Filipino workers over a strong peso, Senator Mar Roxas said the government should also look into the use of Official Development Assistance and other foreign grants for big-ticket projects. read more
 

DBP eyes P42.3B in ODA for priority projects
By Doris Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 17, 2007

MANILA, Philippines- -State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines plans to tap P42.3 billion in official development assistance (ODA) from foreign bilateral and multilateral donors to fund high-impact development projects, DBP president Reynaldo David said.

The bank hasso far mobilized P59.95 billion for priority development projects nationwide, including infrastructure and logistics, small and medium enterprises, social services and environment, David said. read more
 

PRESS RELEASE
WEEK OF ACTION against Illegitimate Debt, Unfair Trade & Worsening Poverty
19 October 2007

Filipino debt activists demand WB to cancel illegitimate debts

MANILA, Philippines -- Joining debt activists worldwide against the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, members of the Freedom from Debt Coalition and Jubilee South-Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development together with the Youth Against Debt (YAD), ODA Watch, the Global Call to Action against Poverty GCAP - Philippines, the Ecological Waste Coalition (EcoWaste Coalition), and the Philippine NGO Coalition on Food Security and Fair Trade (PNLC) staged a protest today at the Bank's Manila Office in Ortigas Center demanding the cancellation of illegitimate debts including those that funded the privatization of essential services and two of the anomalous projects in the Philippines today. read more

RP to once again receive Japanese grants
By Felipe F. Salvosa II Sub-Editor
(Business World – August 1, 2007)

THE PHILIPPINES AND JAPAN have set aside a dispute over tax refunds owed by the former to Japanese contractors, with Tokyo yesterday formally resuming grants to Manila in a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Manila.

Japan also revealed its intention to release $160 million in soft loans for two infrastructure projects under its 27th yen loan package to the Philippines and expressed optimism that a free-trade deal between the two countries would be approved by the Philippine Senate. read more

ODA PERFORMANCE IMPROVES IN 2006: NEDA
NEDA Press Release
7/18/2007 9:59:32 AM

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said that use of official development assistance (ODA) has improved in 2006 due largely to government’s conscious efforts to adhere to better project quality and greater fiscal discipline.

Data from the 2006 ODA Portfolio Review released by NEDA’s Project Monitoring Staff (PMS) revealed that ODA is steadily decreasing to around US$9.5 billion for 141 active loans in 2006 from a peak of US$13.3 billion in 2000. This is seven percent lower than the previous year (around US$10.2 billion) and 29 percent lower than the 2000 figure. The amount involves 141 active loans, comprising 135 project loans supporting 123 projects and six program loans. Project loans accounted for 86 percent (US$8.2 billion) while program loans total 14 percent (US$1.3 billion). read more

Gov’t may tap more ODA
By Michelle V. Remo
(Philippine Daily Inquirer – June 13, 2007)

Original Target set at $1.47B
THE GOVERNMENT SAID IT WAS exploring the possibility of tapping more official development assistance this year to cover its expenses.

Finance Undersecretary Roberto Tan in a briefing yesterday that borrowing more ODA was now an option following the government’s move to cut back on commercial borrowings. read more

Japanese want aid stopped over killings
By Maila Ager
(Philippine Daily Inquirer – April 22, 2007)

JAPANESE HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ON Friday urged their government to suspend Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to the Philippines because of the unabated extrajudicial killings in the country.

Human Rights Now (HRN) zeroed in on the Yen Loan Agreement between Japan and the Philippines, which it said should be suspended until the Arroyo administration “recognizes the human rights situation and (the) accountability mechanism has clearly improved.” read more

Philippines gets P250-B Japan ODA in first quarter
(Business World, August 4-5, 2006)

The Philippines received more than P250 billion ($4.85 billion) worth of official development assistance (ODA) from Japan as of the first quarter of this year, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said in a statement yesterday.

Following a recent meeting with the Japan Citizen’s ODA Monitoring Team, the NEDA Project Monitoring Staff said Japanese ODA accounted for more than half of the current P424-billion ($8.41 billion) foreign loan portfolio of the Philippines as of March this year. read more
 

Curb corruption, ADB urges government
By Michelle V. Remo
(Philippine Daily Inquire - February 8, 2007)

CASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, ONE OF THE country’s biggest sources of foreign financial assistance, has urged the government to curb corruption in public procurement, as this hampers fiscal development goals.

“The Philippines has not yet adopted a specific code of conduct for officials in public procurement that takes into consideration the particular corruption risks in this field,” ADB said in a book entitled, “Curbing Corruption in Public Procurement in Asia and the Pacific.” read more

As Government’s Fiscal Standing Improves
ODA Loans DIP 5% in 2005
NEDA Press Release
8/10/06 10:58:36 AM

Cumulative official development assistance (ODA) sourced through loans dipped five percent to US$10.2 billion in 2005 as the government’s fiscal standing continues to improve, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo L. Neri said.

“From a peak of US$13.3 billion in 2000, ODA loans have steadily decreased in the last five years largely as a result of Government’s greater adherence to project quality and fiscal discipline,” he said. read more

ODAs seen to exceed ’06 target
International donor community now more confident in RP
By Doris C. Dumlao
(Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 4, 2006 Business Section)

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE inflows to the Philippines this year may reach more than twice the $800 million programmed for this year on improved global donors’ confidence in the country.

Government sources privy to the Philippine Development Forum with multilateral and bilateral donors last week said the World Bank for one, had committed to provide a $450-million “fiscal strengthening” program loan this year. read more

Donors tell RP: Curb corruption, spend more Government must ensure economic
benefits reach more people.
By Doris C. Dumlao
(Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 1, 2006)

TAGAYTAY CITY- THE INTERNATIONAL DONOR COMMUNITY yesterday urged the government to plug expenditure leakages caused by corruption and free up more funds for vital infrastructure and social spending.

At the close of the 27th annual meeting with the country’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) partners, multilateral and bilateral donors from 18 countries proposed specific measures to allow a bigger number of Filipinos to benefit from progress made on the fiscal front. read more

RP plans to tap $854M in ODAs,
Combination of program loans, technical assistance

THE COUNTRY IS PLANNING TO borrow $854 million worth of Official Development assistance (ODA) from foreign creditors this year to finance projects and programs that cannot be covered by the expected revenue collection.

ODAs are usually provided by multilateral agencies- such as the World Bank- and bilateral institutions like the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and foreign governments. read more