103 towns to get ‘Millennium’ grants to reduce poverty, improve livelihood
MANILA, Philippines—Another 103 municipalities nationwide will get funding grants under the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) program in the country, according to the US Embassy in Manila.
An embassy statement, issued on Tuesday, states that the 103 will be picked from 300 towns in 26 provinces to be included in the selection process for a chance to become beneficiaries of MCC development projects, which are aimed at reducing poverty and improving livelihood.
“The 103 new beneficiary municipalities, to be determined by drawing of lots, will receive grants from MCC to implement their anti-poverty projects,” said the mission.
Eligible towns “have been grouped in clusters that will attend one-day conferences in these provincial capitals: Kalibo, Guimaras, Dumaguete, Tacloban, Calapan, Naga, Masbate, Puerto Princesa, Bangued, Pagadian, Surigao, and Davao.”
“Along with congressmen, governors, Department of Social Welfare and Development officials, and representatives of MCC and the World Bank, an auditor will witness the drawing of lots to ensure transparency and fairness,” the embassy also said.
The MCC earlier selected 82 municipalities for funding grants covering “thousands of community-level infrastructure and social services projects that will benefit millions of Filipinos.”
In September, the MCC and the Philippines entered into a $434-million (about P20 billion) poverty reduction compact.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. called the grant a “vote of confidence in the Aquino administration and its commitment to confront corruption.”
The compact “will support President Aquino’s efforts to reduce poverty, stimulate economic growth, combat corruption, and ensure a better future for all Filipinos,” said Thomas in a statement.
The three projects under the MCC program are as follows:
* Revenue administration reform, which aims to raise tax revenues and reduce tax evasion and corruption through reforms at the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the modernization of the revenue collection system;
* Secondary national roads development, which aims to reduce transportation costs and improve access to markets and social services through the rehabilitation of a 220-kilometer road segment on Samar island; and
* Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services, which aims to improve social services for the poor and strengthen the capacity of local communities to lift themselves out of poverty.
