THE country’s grants portfolio under official development assistance (ODA) has increased by 7 percent in the second semester of 2006 to $1.12 billion, according to the latest ODA grants report from the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

ODA grants in the second semester last year were higher compared with the $1.04 billion posted in December 2005. The grants portfolio of the country is now composed of 227 projects.

“The increase in grant amount could be attributed largely to the addition of two new projects in 2006 from Finland, which accounted for the increase amounting to $59 million,” the Neda report said.

For the period, there were 18 funding institutions that provided grants to the country. The United States, Australia and the World Bank (WB) remained the country’s top sources of grants with percentage shares of 42 percent, 14 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

The agencies that received the highest amount of grants were the Department of Health, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Neda and the National Statistics Office which received $148 million, $112 million and $69 million, respectively.

The top project recipients of these grants were for the government’s social reform and community development sector, which received $390 million, or 35 percent of the grants, followed by governance and institutions development with $282 million, or 25 percent; and agriculture, environment and agrarian reform with $259 million, or 23 percent.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan, the US and the WB provided grants that cut across all sectors, while Canada concentrated on governance and institutions development, as well as the trade, industry and tourism sectors.

Belgium and China focused on agriculture, environment and agrarian reform. Finland, Norway and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization also concentrated on the same sector apart from infrastructure. The European Commission gave assistance to all sectors, except for infrastructure.

Some of the projects funded by grants from the WB, Canada, Australia, the United States Agency for International Development and Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, were the Community-Managed Agrarian Reform and Poverty Reduction Program, Local Government Support Program II, Counter Terrorism Capacity Building, and the Basic Education Assistance to Mindanao Stage II.

Other projects are those geared toward reducing conflict in Mindanao and other areas and projects on strengthening economic structures for sustainable growth.

THE country’s grants portfolio under official development assistance (ODA) has increased by 7 percent in the second semester of 2006 to $1.12 billion, according to the latest ODA grants report from the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

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