THE national government is currently seeking additional assistance from donor countries to assist poor local government units (LGUs) finance their projects, particularly the Project Development and Monitoring Fund (PDMF).

National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Acting Director General Augusto Santos said the PDMF, along with other LGU projects that are awaiting funding, will help provide additional services, facilities or small infrastructure for LGUs.

“I exhort our friends from the donor community to contribute to the PDMF and assist us in this undertaking.  I assure you that your contributions will be utilized efficiently and that these will go a long way in helping our LGUs realize local aspirations,” Santos said in a statement.

The PDMF was created through the Official Development Assistance (ODA) Law of 1996, which provides that the Neda shall endeavor to obtain funds from donor countries, which shall approximately be 5 percent of the total ODA loan from the immediately preceding year.

Through this fund, the Neda said the technical capability of LGUs in preparing project proposals will be enhanced to facilitate their access to sources of funds for project implementation.

The technical assistance to LGUs is undertaken by Neda through its regional offices in line with its role of promoting development in the regions.

Meanwhile, Santos expressed gratitude to the Spanish, Japanese and New Zealand (NZ) governments for their contribution to the PDMF.

“Through these fund facilities, Neda has been able to assist LGUs and regional bodies in identifying and implementing important projects that help improve local conditions. Many of these projects do not cost much but have had major impacts in their communities,” the Neda chief said.

The Spanish government gave its first contribution amounting to P7.04 million in 1997, which was used in conducting output-based training programs that produced various LGU project proposals.

The Japanese government, through the Kennedy Round 2 program, granted P33 million for the formulation of  preinvestment studies, master plans and capability-building programs for LGUs. 

The NZ government contributed P2.09 million for technical assistance activities in the Cordillera Administrative Region and in Region 2.

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REACTING to a proposed amendment to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) that will require verification and confirmation of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the Philippine Independent Power Producers Association Inc. (Pippa) said that disallowing the automatic pass-through of adjustments will endanger the reliability of power supply.

THE national government is currently seeking additional assistance from donor countries to assist poor local government units (LGUs) finance their projects, particularly the Project Development and Monitoring Fund (PDMF).

DAVAO CITY—Tagum City’s futuristic city hall may well stand, not only for its awesome architecture, but also for its multimillion-peso bold preparation to be an environmentally sustainable urban center.