The Philippines has proposed some $771.3 million worth of projects for Asian Development Bank (ADB) financing as of the first semester of 2017.
The pipeline included various loan-, technical assistance- and grant-funded projects for infrastructure, finance, education, employment and others.
The project with the largest proposed funding is the Secondary Education Support Program. The Philippine government is seeking a $300-million loan from the ADB for the project.
The project targets to refine the secondary-education curriculum; upgrade and maintain secondary- education infrastructure; reform the junior high-school financing system; and strengthen the management of the secondary- education sector.
“[The outcome is a] secondary- education system that equips youth with the essential competencies and skills for lifelong learning and employability,” the ADB stated in the project’s data sheet.
The Philippines is also asking for a $200-million loan from the ADB for the Enhancing Rural Enterprise and Rural Employment Project and a $100-million loan each for the Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility and Metro Manila Wastewater Improvement Project (formerly Metro Manila Water and Sanitation Development Project).
Two projects, the Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships in the Philippines (Phase 2) and the Empowering Bangsamoro Communities Through Adult Literacy and Productivity Enhancement Programs, which are proposed for technical assistance (TA) and grant funding, respectively, do not have cost estimates as of press time.
Meanwhile, as of June 2017, the Manila-based multilateral development bank has approved $305 million worth of projects.
The two approved projects were the Facilitating Youth School-to-Work Transition Program (subprogram 1) and the Strengthening Infrastructure Capacity and Innovation for Inclusive Growth.
The ADB approved a $300-million loan for the Facilitating Youth School-to-Work Transition Program (subprogram 1), which aims to help the government shorten young Filipinos’ school-to-work transition.
The project will help in improving youth employment rates, as well as enhance the long-term partnership between the ADB and the government. The bank also approved a $5-million technical assistance for the Strengthening Infrastructure Capacity and Innovation for Inclusive Growth project. “The transaction TA is split into two phases: Phase 1 will ensure smooth and timely start-up of the proposed project and Phase 2 will implement a project management and monitoring system,” the ADB said.
The TA will directly support the government and the proposed project by screening and prioritizing projects for inclusion and enhancing the current management and monitoring system and structures.
It will also help identify key specialist support to augment capacity in the Department of Finance, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Transportation, and support the implementation of a project management and monitoring system as part of the “Build, Build, Build” program. The ADB’s future assistance to the Philippines is closely aligned with the long-term vision of the Philippines toward 2040 (Ambisyon Natin 2040), as well as the Philippine Development Plan for 2017-2022.
The ADB is considered one of the country’s largest sources of official development assistance, with average annual lending of $745 million in the past 10 years.