THE business climate has improved in the cities of Puerto Princesa, Zamboanga and Tagbilaran as measured by the increased issuance of business permits starting January, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said.
Mar 092017
Mar 012016
DAVAO CITY — The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) has signed separate agreements with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the development of the South Central Mindanao Corridor (SCMC), one of three geographic clusters identified under the Mindanao 2020 plan.
Apr 042014
THE BATANGAS City government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have launched a mobile payment system to benefit 4,000 business owners in the city.
Feb 282014
U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce and USAID staff encourage Tacloban residents whose home was completely destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda. Royce (R-CA) with seven other members of U.S. Congress visited and assured continued U.S. humanitarian support for the people of Tacloban. (MNS photo) MANILA, February 27, 2014 (AFP) – Bodies are still being found under the wreckage almost four months after Super Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Philippines as survivors struggle to rebuild their lives, officials said Thursday. The government’s confirmed death toll of 6,201 has not been updated for a month, as officials investigate whether the recently-discovered corpses are among the 1,785 listed as missing. This development came in the way of a U.S. congressional visit led by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce visited and assured continued U.S. humanitarian support for the people of Tacloban, the Philippine city devastated by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) on Nov. 8. Accompanied by Mayor Alfred Romualdez during the visit to the city and surrounding areas, Chairman Royce visited U.S. and international-funded aid projects for residents, many of whom had their homes completely destroyed. At a rice distribution site, Chairman Royce and the delegation were briefed on aid efforts by representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which along with the World Food Program (WFP) and Samaritan’s Purse are distributing food aid to those in need. Chairman Royce and the delegation also visited a USAID shelter and settlement site, at which aid organizations such as Catholic Relief Services and PLAN Read More …
Nov 232013
A Philippine Air Force helicopter is loaded with water at Tacloban airport, ahead of being deployed to a mountainous area inaccessible for vehicles to the west of Tacloban city, in the central Philippines November 17, 2013. The Philippine and U.S. Air Forces are flying rice, clothes and drinking water into remote areas of the central Philippines, which are unreachable by vehicles. A massive relief effort is finally kicking into gear, nine days after one of the most powerful typhoons on record wreaked havoc across the impoverished area in the central Philippines with monster winds and a deadly storm surge of sea water. Philippine authorities and international aid agencies face a mounting humanitarian crisis, with the number of people displaced by the catastrophe estimated at 4 million, up from 900,000 late last week (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – While foreign governments have pledged millions of dollars in donations for relief efforts in the Philippines, the government is not actually getting its hands on most of the funds. Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) chief Kim Henares clarified that foreign governments usually course their donations through their own aid organizations. “May misconception ang tao na ang laki-laki ng dinonate ng ibang bansa sa Pilipinas. Ang nangyayari ho, ang America mayroon sila donation eh hindi ho nila binibigay ang pera sa gobyerno. Ginagawa nila binibigay nila sa sariling charitable organization nila, like USAID. At yun USAID mismo ang magdistribute (ng relief goods),” Henares told dzMM. For instance, the US government provided $22.5 million worth Read More …
Nov 212013
By Julliane Love de JesusINQUIRER.net 7:40 pm | Thursday, November 21st, 2013 Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Since foreign aid had been pouring in after the onslaught of supertyphoon Yolanda, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday has decided to institutionalize the military assistance given by 16 countries, particularly the United States, to the Philippines in the form of the Multinational Coordinating Center (MNCC). AFP Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Emmanuel Bautista, in a press briefing at the Office of Civil Defense headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, officially announced the creation of the MNCC “to coordinate and synchronize military to military operations and facilitate the cooperation between the AFP and the US Joint Task Force in support of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).” As foreign contingents of 61 air assets, 14 naval vessels and seven C-130s fly and dock to the country for relief missions, Bautista said the newly-established council was tasked to ensure that the movements of foreign aid were monitored “perfectly to the general situation of the disaster relief efforts of the national government.” Representing the members of US Marine Corps, Lieutenant General John Wissler said the American forces will continue to provide their relief efforts and augmentation forces for as long as these are needed, noting that the US forces are “simply here to support.” “This tragedy would have brought every nation to Read More …
Sep 302013
US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr.: Advancing shared vision. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Amid the pork barrel scam that may well have tainted the image of the country’s thriving nongovernment organization community, the United States on Monday announced a P984-million ($24 million) grant-giving facility that aims to fund over the next five years deserving Philippine NGOs in pursuing “innovative solutions [to] the country’s development challenges.” The US Embassy in Manila said the Philippine-American (Phil-Am) Fund, initiated by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is a component of the continuing implementation of the American Partnership for Growth Program (PFG), a wide-ranging program that seeks to help the Philippines steer itself toward inclusive growth. Reflecting its continuing faith in the country’s NGO community, the US Embassy announced the grant facility just as the Philippines continues to investigate the misappropriation of state funds for bogus programs through fake NGOs allegedly perpetrated by the now jailed Janet Lim-Napoles. “I am very pleased to be a part of this exciting and innovative project that will help advance our shared vision of broad-based and inclusive growth under the Partnership for Growth Initiative. Under the PFG, our governments are committed to work together to achieve inclusive economic growth in the Philippines,” said US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. The Philippines is one of only four countries where the United States is implementing the White House-led PFG program, which seeks to improve the country’s education, governance, justice and financial systems through collaborative engagements between the US and Philippine officials Read More …