Aklan towns to benefit from US grant

The government has approved two anti-poverty projects worth a total of P22.05 million as part of the the $434-million grant from the United States’ Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

The province of Aklan has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Millennium Challenge Account-Philippines (MCA-P), the enforcing arm of the grant, the agency said in a statement.

The municipality of Libacao will receive P11.25 million for its 25 barangays through the agreement, while Madalag town will get P10.8 million for its 24 barangays.

The grant will finance the municipalities’ community projects for the next three years under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS).

It will also fund capacity-building and institutional support to monitor and evaluate the anti-poverty projects.

"[The MCC support is] the key to unlock the chains of poverty in Aklan and will help bridge the gap between the rich and the poor," Aklan Governor Carlito S. Marquez said in the statement.

Mayors Charito I. Navarosa of Libacao and Rex T. Gubatina of Madalag welcomed the grants, saying these "will give inspiration and hope to the people, especially those who live in the uplands."

A total of 19 municipalities nationwide will receive grants from the MCC through KALAHI-CIDSS, the statement said.

KALAHI-CIDSS, which will get a total of $120 million from the MCC grant, is designed to spur community development by funding crucial local government projects and improving social services for the poor.

It is expected to benefit over five million Filipinos over the next 20 years.

Two other projects will also receive funding from the MCC.

The Secondary National Roads Development Project of the Department of Public Works and Highways will get $214.44 million. It aims to rehabilitate the 220-kilometer Samar Road which passes through 15 municipalities in Western and Eastern Samar provinces.

The project seeks to reduce transportation costs and improve access to markets and social services for an estimated 290,000 residents in these provinces.

On the other hand, the Revenue Administration Reform Project will get $54.3 million to help strengthen tax collections and detect corruption in revenue agencies. The grant will fund the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s initiative to redesign its policies and implement the electronic Tax Information System.

It will also support the Revenue Integrity Protection Service by funding the training of personnel and the acquisition of case management software.

Another $8.6 million will also be used for the monitoring and evaluation of MCAP programs, while $36.91 million was set aside for program administration and oversight. -- DCJJ