World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick was to arrive in the Philippines late on Tuesday on a visit aimed at strengthening the bank’s partnership with the Philippines to combat poverty.
Zoellick said he is looking forward to seeing firsthand President Aquino’s government reforms and personally observe the conditional cash-transfer (CCT) program at work in his first official visit to the Philippines. The last time a World Bank chief visited the Philippines was in November 2001 during the time of James Wolfenson.
In his two-day visit, Zoellick will be meeting the President and his economic team, as well as leaders and representatives of civil-society organizations and the private sector.
“The World Bank shares the view that fighting corruption and boosting transparency are vital to development. We know corruption is a drag on the economy, taxes the poor, and strangles opportunity, so I am looking forward to seeing firsthand and learning from some of the reforms President Aquino has put in place to improve governance,” Zoellick said in a statement. “The focus on good governance can help in the effort to boost economic growth, as better governance improves the investment climate as well as helps ensure efficient public spending.”
Zoellick is also scheduled to visit a poor community to meet with those benefiting from the government’s CCT program, which provides families with cash if they send their children to school and comply with health checks.
The World Bank has extended a $405-million loan to support the country’s Social Welfare and Development Reform Project, which includes the CCT program. Since 2008, the program has already benefited about 2.2 million households that include 6 million children up through age 14.
“At a time when many countries have increasing numbers of people living precariously near the poverty line, targeted safety-net programs are vital to help the most vulnerable people to continue to have opportunity and hope,” Zoellick said.
Under the theme, “Making growth work for the poor,” the World Bank has been supporting the government’s
Philippine Development Plan. As of September, the Washington-based lender had a total commitment of over $2 billion with an additional $185 million in commitments from its private-sector arm, the International Finance Corp.
