[ad_1]
The World Bank approved two loans on Thursday to support the Philippines’ efforts to recover from the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, improve competitiveness and build resilience in the face of shocks and natural disasters.
In a statement, the Washington-based multilateral lender said that one of the loans, the Development Policy Loan to Promote Competitiveness and Improve Resilience to Natural Disasters, would support reforms to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies, promote greater competition and reduce the costs of doing business to reactivate more economic activities.
It would also help small and medium-sized businesses recover from the global public health crisis, help citizens cope with social distancing measures and other health protocols, and improve the delivery of social assistance to the most disadvantaged groups of society, he added.
“Reforms to improve digital infrastructure and accelerate [the] The adoption of digital technologies will not only help the country’s efforts to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, but will also boost its export competitiveness, which is vital to create more and better jobs in the future, ”said Ndiamé Diop, director of World Bank country for Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.
The second loan, an additional $ 300 million for the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Integrated and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) National Community Driven Development Project (KC-NCDDP), is aimed at help address rural poverty.
According to the World Bank, the new funds would provide grants to fund identified and community-managed responses that restore or improve basic social services to address the impact of the pandemic and other disasters that hit the poorest and most vulnerable cities too hard.
“Community-driven development approaches have proven effective in accelerating community rebuilding after disasters and efficiently targeting the priority needs of communities around the world,” Diop said.
“I have no doubt that the same approach – communities working together to address common challenges – will help them recover from this pandemic and, at the same time, build their resilience to future shocks,” he added.
The KC-NCDDP is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Under this project, poor communities organize, analyze their own situation, prepare project proposals to address common problems, and compete for block grants to finance their own projects.
These include local basic facilities, such as access roads and bridges, water systems, school buildings and day care centers, in the poorest communities with a limited internal income allocation (IRA) from the government and are not reached by other programs due to various factors. .
The World Bank said that communities can also obtain funds for isolation facilities, water and sanitation improvements, and the construction or improvement of health stations.
Community members are also responsible for the implementation and maintenance of these projects.
[ad_2]
