Volume 7Issue 2

June 2009

30th Floor, Tower IIRCBC Plaza, 6819 Ayala Avenue1200 Makati City, PhilippinesTel.: (+63-2)859-5100Fax: (+63-2) 859-5109E-mail:DELEGATION-PHILIPPINES@ec.europa.euWebsite:http//www.delphl.ec.europa.eu

ISSN 1830-0022

Delegation ofthe EuropeanCommission tothe Philippines

EU News is available online at http://www.delphl.ec.europa.eu • You may also email DELEGATION-PHILIPPINES@ec.europa.eu if you want an electronic copy.

• • • • • T’boli Opens New Birthing Clinic /p.3• • • • • Drug Management Reforms in Capiz /p.4• • • • • Kartada Karavan in Samar /p.5• • • • • Reproductive Health Forum /p.6• • • • • CECAP Continues its Legacy in Banawe /p.7• • • • • SHUTTERBUG Corner /p.8

what’s inside a special issue on health• • • • • EU Envoys Laud Winners of EU Whiz and Essay Contest /p.9• • • • • Erasmus Mundus /p.11• • • • • GREEN CORNER /p.12• • • • • Philippine delegates to the EU Phytosanitary Seminar /p.13• • • • • EC Grant • 6.4 million to Strengthen Food Security in RP /p.15• • • • • Linggo de Lingua Europa II & Cine Europa 12 /p.16

Indigenous People of Compostela Valley view ancestraldomain as a manifestation of their culture and their iden-tity. And at the moment, they are raising the issue of bet-ter access to health services which are more attuned totheir cultural heritage and identity..

Datu Danilo Abaniza, MansakaTribal leader of the province of Com-

postela said they haveexperienced some

forms of suppressionof their culturalpractices and theseconflict with theirideas and beliefs.“Most of us feel dis-criminated againstwhen it comes toaccess to healthservices,’’ he said.

Danilo cited asan example thatthey were less well-

attended to whentheir people visit hospitals.

He said non-IPs see IPs as poorpeople who do not have the ca-

pacity to pay. continued to page 2

continued to page 2

The European Commission (EC) has been a primesupporter of the Department of Health (DoH) inrevitalising the Philippines’ health sector reformagenda (HSRA), transforming it into a sector-wide ap-proach. The need for a comprehensive reformstemmed from the decentralisation of responsibilityfor health service delivery to local government sectorin the 1990s, bringing responsibility for servicecloser to the communities.

The EC has been assisting the Philippine Gov-ernment since 2003 in developing an approach toimprove the efficiency of its investments in healththrough a sector-based strategy aimed at bringing

together all the related health partners and issues, underthe DoH’s ‘Sector Development Approach to Health’(SDAH).

In 2005, the DOH re-formulated the SDAH and ap-proved an overall framework for health sector reform,known as ‘FOURmula ONE for Health’, unsually abbrevi-ated to F1.

The F-1 is designed to implement critical health inter-ventions as a single package, backed by effective manage-ment infrastructure and financing arrangements.

It is based on the concept of four pillars: health financ-ing, which concerns primarily the issue of health insur-ance; health service delivery, which includes the key issueof making facility based delivery available to all mothers;health regulation, which includes the issue of cheapermedicines; and health governance (including public fi-nance management), which is the essential in ensuring an

HEALTH : At the Core of theEC Development Programmes

The Mansaka tribal leader admitted that it’s often difficultto get referrals from government officials especially duringmedical crisis. “Most of our people did not have the courageto assert their rights as they were overpowered by their fears”,he said.

Teresita “Bebing” Marcial, a tribal leader of Mansaka tribein Compostela Valley Province, said there should be consid-erations in health programmes of the government when itcomes to IPs. She added that the problem with the healthdepartment’s efforts is that the services provided to IPs arebased on non-IP needs.

Bebing cited as example that most of their pregnant IPscan’t attend regular pre-natal check-ups and they are pres-sured to give birth in far-away places by registered midwifes.She added, that it is not easy for the pregnant IPs to go to thecity since they are living in far-flung areas.

She suggested that it would be better if there were healthworkers who were IPs themselves as IPs would exhibit moreempathy to their fellow IPs, and would know what they needand what they feel.

Some of the IPs are hesitant to go to non-IP health work-ers because they are not culturally attuned to our way of liv-ing, she said.

In addition, she said that some of the non-IP healthworkers are always in a hurry to go back home before sunsetwhich can in turn make some IPs feel that they are less

MHSPSP MHSPSP MHSPSP MHSPSP MHSPSP VVVVValue Indigalue Indigalue Indigalue Indigalue IndigenousenousenousenousenousPPPPPeople Health Needseople Health Needseople Health Needseople Health Needseople Health Needs By: Michael Esguerra

Photo credit:‘Bakwit’ by Jonald Mahinay

prioritised. Nevertheless, Bebing does notblame the workers because she knowsthat the families of these health workersare waiting for them to return safely.

She said that if the government wantssustainable development among theirpeople, the government should givechances to help educate IPs most espe-cially in the areas of Midwifery and otherhealth-related disciplines.

More research on herbal plants willalso be beneficial for IPs. Bebing believedthat conducting more researches onherbal plants used by IPs will give thembetter access to immediate relief for somecommon ailments. Datu Danilo Abaniza,Mansaka tribal leader added that theproblem now is that IPs lack research anddocumentation of existing herbal plantsand their practical applications, hence,knowledge is lost in their communities.

Mindanao Health Sector Policy Sup-port Program’s Team Leader, Mr. WilliamJohn Rockett, noted that it is importantthat the health needs of Indigenous Peopleare identified in a structured way. The pri-orities must be well documented andmust reflect the views of IPs given the pre-vailing health setting. Initiatives driven byFOURmula for Health provide such astructure and that MHSPSP can assist in anumber of ways.

He added that the IPs have taken thefirst step to improving their situation havingformulated Ancestral Domain SustainableDevelopment Plans.

The MHSPSP is planning to supportthe Province in integrating IP health needsinto the Provincial Investment Plan forHealth. Once the IP health needs arefully identified, the MHSPSP can betterassist the Provinces to better serve thesecommunities, he said.

FOURmula One for Health is a De-partment of Health initiative to improvethe management and delivery of healthservices by the provincial and municipalgovernments.

First Health Forum forIndigenous People held inCompostela Valley

The Mindanao Health Sector PolicySupport Programme (MHSPSP), aProgramme funded by the European

Commission, held the first ever health fo-rum for Indigenous People in theCompostela Valley province during thethird quarter of this year.

The forum held in the provincial capi-tal of Compostela, Nabunturan, was at-tended by around 20 tribal leaders, fromthe non-Muslim tribes of Mansaka,Mandaya, Dibabawon, Manggungan,Manobo and Kalagan. MHSPSP and theNational Commission on IndigenousPeoples (NCIP) facilitated the activity.

The forum engaged the indigenousleaders to better understand their healthneeds and identify future health interven-tions.

The main objective of MHSPSP is tocontribute to the overall improvement ofthe health status of the population, focus-ing on the poor and vulnerable groups.The Programme identifies indigenouspeople as one the most vulnerable groupsthat are in need assistance.

Datu Danilo Abaniza, Mansaka Triballeader commented that they (tribal lead-ers) are happy that the European Commis-sion identified indigenous people as po-tential beneficiaries of this healthprogramme. He added that indigenouspeople of Compostela have a lot ofhealth-related issues, especially notinglimited access to health assistance. Theyare optimistic that the Programme willcontribute to the development of theirpeople.

Some of the health issues identified inthe assembly were poor nutrition, limitedaccess to health care services for the ma-jority whom live in remote areas, lack ofhealth promotion material, poor sanita-tion, lack of safe drinking water, the preva-lence tuberculosis, the lack of health per-sonnel that are culturally attune and nodocumentation of herbal plants whichthey depend on to prevent and treat dis-ease.

Provincial Officer of the NationalCommission for Indigenous Peoples(NCIP), Ms. Shirley Iguianon, said that shehopes the Programme will create signifi-cant impact among the indigenous peoplein her province. She adds that this is thefirst health forum ever held among theirpeople. The program gives an avenue tomake possible interventions to address thehealth related problems of indigenouspeople, as they should be given equal op-portunities to achieve good health.

Ms. Shirley B. Iguianon, NCIP Provincial Officer talking about the identified health issues among IndigenousPeople in Compostela Valley Province.

First Health forum...from page 1

MHSPSP’s Team Leader, Mr. WilliamJohn Rockett noted that it was importantthat the health needs of Indigenous Peopleare considered in both the context of theUnited Nations Declaration on the Rightsof Indigenous Peoples and the frameworkof the FOURmula for Health. FOURmulaOne for Health is a Department of Healthinitiative to improve the management anddelivery of health services by the provin-cial and municipal governments.

MHSPSP will now coordinate with theNCIP, the Department of Health – Centerof Health Development (Region 11) andthe Local Government Units ofCompostela Valley to assure the integra-tion the health concerns of the IndigenousPeople into Compostela Valley ’s Invest-ment Plan for Health.a

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The Delegation of the European Com-mission joins the Filipino nation in condolingwith the Philippines for the loss of a greatleader, President Corazon Aquino. In this is-sue, we feature the condolence message ofEuropean Commission President ManuelBarroso as relayed to Philippine PresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

We also like to extend our sympathiesto the family of a dedicated social worker,Mr Finardo Cabilao, alumnus of the Euro-pean Union Visitors Programme (2006) whowas tragical ly ki l led in Malaysia in thecourse of his work.

In a letter dated 17 August 2009 sent toSocial Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral,Mr. Holger Rommen expressed the appre-ciation that Mr Cabilao brought to this institu-tion particularly in his excellent work in the“Access to Justice for the Poor” project.

“He will be remembered not only for hiskindness and generous nature but also forhis willingness to share his time with usand his determination to reach consensusand best solution on every occasion”, Mr.Rommen said.

On a happy note, we like to announcethat Cine Europa is opening on 10 Septem-ber in Shangri-La Plaza and will then travelto Cagayan de Oro and then Cebu until 11October. Seventeen fi lms of love, hope,faith, strength, courage from films of varyinggenres – romance, comedy, action, thriller/horror - are featured this year and CineEuropa enthusiasts will certainly enjoy an-other year of the best of European qualityfilms. Linggo de Lingua Europa 2 also opensthis September with yet another week of funand discovery of European languages in theUniversity of the Philippines, Ateneo de Ma-nila University, St. Paul’s University Manilaand Instituto Cervantes.

The EU News’ next issue is focused onmigration. We wish to acknowledge all ourpartners who contributed in this specialhealth issue.

THELMA A. GECOLEA

Local health boards in Mindanao are nowup for assessment.

Through the Mindanao Health SectorPolicy Support Programme, local healthboards are currently being examined in termsof their capacities to better provide health de-livery services in the country.

The local health boards play a vital rolein the health delivery services in the country,as it is a core body of the municipal healthorganisations. They have the mission to setthe overall direction of health delivery in theirrespective community and provide a platformfor civil society to voice their needs in health.

Around 92% of the municipalities underMHSPSP (59 out of 64 municipalities inMindanao) were covered by the assessment.

According to the United Nations Devel-opment Programme, “capacity assessment isan analysis of desired capacities against ex-isting capacities.” This generates an under-standing of capacity assets and needs, whichinforms the formulation of a development re-sponse.

Dr. Mary Joan J. Bersabe, a short-termexpert of MHSPSP confirms that the studyhas provided significant results. She addsthat the findings stirred other sectors of thegovernment, asserting that the health boardshave a vital role in the governance of healthservices.

Mr. John Rockett, the Team Leader ofMHSPSP added that strong functioninghealth boards can be the ‘voice of the com-munity’ and it is through these boards that is-sues of equity in basic health care forwomen, indigenous peoples, the poor andother vulnerable groups can be heard atpolicy level.

The study showed that the limitations ofthe boards’ capacity included skills in evalu-ating and monitoring performance of their mu-nicipal health services.

Performance monitoring is central to un-derstanding of the problems in any publicsector services. However, they have thestrong capacity in assessing the current sta-tus and establish partnerships with otherstakeholders and with other sectors.

The programme recommends strengthen-ing the boards’ core competencies in the fol-lowing areas; board operations and role,oversight of procurement and financial man-agement, health policy development, inter-preting health information, and other skills en-hancement.

The programme added that due to the sig-nificance of the results, the Department ofHealth’s Centers for Health Development areplanning to adopt the same tools to assessother municipalities and provinces whichwere not covered by the MHSPSP program.

CapacityAssessmentof LHB’s inMindanao

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The first T’boli Birthing Clinic and Ba-sic Emergency Obstetric Care (BEmOC)Facility was inaugurated last June 8, 2009in a ceremony graced by South CotabatoGovernor Daisy Avance Fuentes andT’boli Mayor Ernesto Manuel.

It is the first fully-opertional RuralHealth Unit based - Birthing Clinic andBasic Emergency Obstetric Care faiclity inSouth Cotabato. Two other hospital-based BEmOC facilities in the municipali-ties of Polomolok and Norala funded bythe same grant have been operating in theprovince since mid-2008. Funding forthese came from the • 12 million for theHealth Sector Policy Support Programmein Mindanao.

The municipality of T’boli is an agri-cultural municipality home to the T’boliand Blaan indigenous peoples. Despite itsbeing a first-class municipality mainly dueto its sizeable land area and large popula-tion, its maternal health indices have re-mained glum through the years with a ma-ternal mortality ratio averaging at 2 deathsfor every 100,000 population for the pastthree years and an average of 89% of de-liveries still being performed at home dur-ing the same period.

The alarming proportion of home-based deliveries is mainly attributed to thefact that the majority of the population areindigenous peoples living in geographi-cally inaccessible and disadvantaged areascompounded by the general acceptanceof traditional birthing practices.

Recent data have shown that hemor-rhage during childbirth has been the ma-jor cause of maternal deaths, and the de-lays in proper treatment contributing tothe ultimate death of the mother can onlybe eliminated by having them deliver in awell-equipped and capably-staffed facil-

T’boli Opens New Birthing Clinicity. This logic has been the rationale forhaving all pregnant women deliver inBEmOC facilities as the one of the majorthrusts in achieving the fifth MillenniumDevelopment Goal of maternal mortalityreduction.

One month after its opening , theBEmOC Facility has already seen 10 deliv-eries from having none at all being deliv-ered at the RHU prior to the establishmentof the birthing clinic.

Dr. Josephine Armada, the municipalhealth officer, is thankful and very happywith the birthing facility despite the addi-tional workload from all the deliveries be-cause the mothers and their families areimpressed with the services offered by thenew facility.

As for the unresolved problem of ac-cess for those living far from the birthingclinic, Dr. Armada is considering to put upa lodging area for mothers expecting todeliver within the next few days to closethe gap between the onset of labour andthe arrival at the nearest birthing facility.

Dr. Josephine Armada (second from left) withprovincial and municipal health office staff at thedelivery room of the new birthing clinic

The T’boli Birthing Clinic and BEmOC Facility

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Capiz’ drug management reforms programhave been constantly evolving since their incep-tion in 2001.

Dr Jarvis Punsalan, Provincial Health Of-ficer II of Capiz Province recounts that thepresent pooled procurement system is the latestmodification of what was initially a program es-tablished to support parallel drug importation(PDI) initiatives of the national government.

Initially, procurements were only medicinescoming from India through the PDI program ad-ministered by the Philippine International TradingCorporation (PITC). Being a government entity,purchases from PITC did not require bidding,which facilitated procurements. Drugs availablewith PITC were, however, limited and delayeddeliveries were a recurrent problem.

With increasing procurements, local drugcompanies soon took notice and offered to golower than the prices offered by PITC. Eventu-ally, when the program had enough funds toimplement bulk procurements, even medicinesnot available with PITC were offered to the pro-gram at markedly discounted prices. With allprocurements now going through bidding pro-cesses, drug companies started to competeagainst each other to get the program’s orders -further lowering of prices were thus noted.

Currently, almost all medicines are procuredfrom local drug companies, including from multi-national companies that manage to win the bid-ding.

As an offshoot of this program, Capiz hasmanaged to use the Indian drug prices as lever-age in negotiations with local pharmaceuticalcompanies, including multinationals. This hascompelled pharmaceutical companies to lower theprices of their products in order to remain com-petitive in the Capiz market. The ensuing com-petition between these companies has resulted inthe further lowering of some drug prices that wereeven less than those offered under PDI by PITC.Local procurements have thus been initiated.

With increasing sales the program’s revolv-ing fund continued to grow, which allowed addi-tional medicines to be included for procurement.Selection of these additional medicines was

made based on therapeutic committees’ recom-mendations and on government pharmacists’ re-ports of frequently prescribed medicines anddrugs that were not available in their pharmacies.

The program’s total capitalization has reachedPhp 5,916,556.00 (• 87,008) as of 2008. Seedfunds came from the Provincial Governmentamounting to Php 1 million (•14,705) and the Eu-ropean Commission grant of Php 4.916 million(•72,302) as part of the Province-wide Invest-ment Plan for Health. The Program has gained atotal net revenue of Php 2. 469 million (• 36,317)from 2001 to the end of June 2009.

A comparison of private sector and projectmedicine procurement prices revealed govern-ment savings exceeding Php29 million pesos •426,470 for the year 2008 alone. All these whileproviding the government hospitals with somerevenue, patient savings have also been signifi-cant. By buying medicines from the nearestgovernment hospitals, patients were able to ac-cess affordable quality medicines

With the program’s success, it is apparentthat LGU involvement is critical since indigentpatients need access to cheaper and qualitydrugs. The use of PDI as a leveraging tool in ne-gotiations with pharmaceutical companies hasproven very useful. Having a source of drugsthat are affordable and of good quality has pro-vided Capiz with an alternative if and when thelocal companies refused to lower their prices.Likewise, pooled procurement allowed the pro-gram to access bigger discounts from drug com-panies. The bulk purchase made the program’smedicine procurements attractive to them and thecompetitive bidding that ensued allowed the prov-ince to access even bigger discounts.

With this initiative, the Capiz Drug Manage-ment Reforms was awarded on August 3, 2006as Best Sector Project for 2005-2006 by the Re-gional Development Council VI and GermanTechnical Cooperation Decentralization Project.It is currently a nominee for Good Governancefor Medicines (GGM) Awards sponsored by theDepartment of Health Organization, MedicinesTransparency Alliance (MeTA) Philippines, andthe World Health Organization.

Drug Management Reforms:Gateway to Quality andCheaper Medicines

By:Joeffry M. Espiritu,Health Education &Promotion OfficerViriginia A. Gaylan,Local ReformImplementationCoordinator

Capiz Province’Experience,Philippines

efficient and effective system.In line with the sectoral approach,

the EC has launched two programmesin the health sector: the Health SectorPolicy Support Programme (HSPSP)and the Mindanao Health SectorPolicy Support Programme (MHSPSP).These twin programmes aim to con-tribute to the improvement of thehealth of the Philippines’ poor popu-lation and to achieve health-relatedMillennium Development Goals(MDGs).

Health Sector Policy SupportProgramme (HSPSP)

Implementation period: 2006-2011EC Grant: • 33 M

The Health Sector Policy SupportProgramme or HSPSP aims to enablethe country ’s poor to gain and in-crease their use and access to afford-able and financially sustainable, qual-ity essential health services and popu-lation programmes.

The programme prioritises pro-poor interventions and targets primaryhealth care services in the poorest mu-nicipalities, together with system devel-opment and capacity building at locallevel and at DOH level.

The EC’s support is in the form offunding for local government healthsector investment plans, accompaniedby expert advice through a TechnicalAssistance team, plus direct funding tothe Department of Budget and Man-agement and DoH for for public fi-nance management improvements.

Implementing partners are the De-partment of Health (DOH), the WorldBank (WB), and Local GovernmentUnits.

Mindanao Health Sector PolicySupport Programme (MHSPSP)

Implementation period: 2007-2012EC Grant: • 12 M

The Mindanao Health SectorPolicy Support Programme extends thesupport provided under the HSPSP to14 provinces, all located in Mindanao,where the incidence of poverty ishigher than elsewhere in the country.This is also in line with the EC’s policyto support essential development toensure that conflict does not preventthe poverty reduction and growth.

This programme is an integral partof the government’s ‘F1’ health sectorreform programme.

While the original HSPSP coveredthe initial 16 provinces of the firstphase of the reform, the MHSPSP cov-ers 14 Mindanao provinces (includingthose within the Autonomous Regionin Muslim Mindanao) of the 21 prov-inces in the second phase (‘Roll-out’)

HEALTH: At the Core...from page 1

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Kartada Samar ensures the provision ofnecessary and correct information on ado-lescent sexual and reproductive health to theyouth of Marabut and Paranas by influenc-ing policy development in the municipalities.

Achieved through Sangguniang Bayanpresentations coupled with persistent nego-t iat ions done by Samar SangguniangKabataan officials with political patrons,ASRH resolutions have been approved by22 of the 26 local government councils of theprovince which provis ions andfunctionalities include a budgetary phrasethat further guarantees both the usefulnessand sustainability of the program. Apart fromthese, Kartada Samar is also labouring topresent and lobby ASRH resolutions that areappropriate in the barangay level, providinga multi-level action towards achieving thegoal of eradicating the distressful ignoranceon HIV and AIDS.

Municipalities ApproveASRH Resolutions

Effectively increasing awareness onHIV and AIDS via showcasing KartadaSamar’s advocacy activities, KartadaKaravans were conducted in the munici-palities of Pinabacdao, San Sebastian, andVillareal and in Brgy. San Juan in Sta.Rita.

The Karavan in Pinabacdao openedwith a motorcade around selectedbarangays followed by a post-motorcadeprogram where Mayor Mario Quijanoshowed and relayed his utmost apprecia-tion of the youth’s capability to affect posi-tive changes in the society. In SanSebastian, the Karavan started with the un-veiling of billboard in Brgy. Inobongan fol-lowed by a motorcade. In the programconducted in the municipal coveredcourt, Municipal Mayor Arnold Abalosrecognized the Kartada Samar-led SK ad-vocacy which he considers as an im-mense factor in the protection of the wel-fare of the youth and their municipality’spopulation in general. European Commis-sion representatives were amazed to wit-ness the strong tie-up that Kartada Samarhas built with San Sebastian’s local gov-

ernment, a connection that presents ma-jor advantages in Kartada Samar’s goal oferadicating HIV and AIDS ignorance in thelocality. In Villareal, seventeen barangaysof the municipality participated in theKaravan which was highlighted with afoot-parade that captured the town’s at-tention and informed them of the com-bined effort of Villareal stakeholders in ad-dressing HIV prevention. The Karavan wasthe highlight event of Brgy. San Juan’s 1st

Youth Day. The celebration in thebarangay of the municipality of Sta. Ritawas carried out under the theme; “Batan-on, Dapat Kilal-on, May Panginanuon”, acall for action on the recognition of youthrights and responsibilities.

The youth in the respective areas wereprovided with accurate information onadolescent sexual and reproductivehealth and HIV prevention through smallgroup discussions. Understanding of theknowledge relayed to the adolescent par-ticipants in Pinabacdao, Villareal and SanJuan was measured through contests likequiz bee, essay writing, poster making and

slogan-making. Prizes were given to pro-vide recognition to contest winners.

By attracting multi-sectoral crowds, theKartada Karavan has become a functionaltool in providing information on HIV andAIDS including its prevention along withthe other consequences of unprotectedearly sexual engagement.

With reports from:

• Beverlyn TevesSK ChairpersonBrgy. Canmucat, Villareal

• Emily BautistaSK ChairpersonBrgy. Pahug, Pinabacdao

• Gleeper Dan DelmoroSK ChairpersonBrgy. San Juan, Sta. Rita

Special thanks to the Population ServicesPilipinas, Inc. for permission to reprint thisreport.

Kartada Karavan HitsPinabacdao, San Sebastian,Sta. Rita, and Villareal

4

Preventing hiv/aids among adolescents in the philippines bybuilding capacity of youth councils to engage in local decisionmaking processes on the rights of adolescents to sexual andreproductive health

Population Services Pilipinas Incorporated (PSPI)

• 851,357.98

• 638,518.48 75 %

Title of the Action

Local Partner(s)

Total Cost of the Action

EC Contribution and% of Total Cost

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Secretary Cabral, CongressmanLagman, Congresswoman Garmin, Gover-nor Salceda, Md Mukherjee, friends andcolleagues, ladies and gentlemen – Iwould like to thank you for inviting me tojoin you today, and for giving me an op-portunity to commend the work which isbeing done in Congress on reproductivehealth, both in the House and in the Sen-ate.

I won’t repeat today, in any great de-tail, the views which I had expressed thelast time I spoke on this topic – my viewshave not changed. In summary, I mightjust note that on that occasion :

- I acknowledged that this is a sensitiveissue, on which Philippine citizens, Philip-pine voters, have strongly held-views – thegreat majority in favour of an effectiveframework for reproductive health, a vo-cal minority against.

- I noted that the absence of an effec-tive framework for reproductive health isantipoor, anti-women, anti-children, andanti-development

- I pointed out that the absence of aneffective framework for reproductivehealth is in itself one of the greatest causesof abortion – of illegal abortion

- and I recalled all the opinion polls,which confirm that Philippine citizensand Philippine voters are massively infavour of a modern framework for repro-ductive health

I had also referred to the statementmade by the EU at last year’s PDF, wherewe noted inter alia that :

“Continued rapid population growth inthe Philippines is draining health and eco-

ReproductiveHealth ForumManila, 7 May 2009Remarks by Ambassador Alistair MacDonaldEuropean Commission

6

nomic resources and slowing down eco-nomic growth. It also threatens thesustainability of rural livelihoods and is in-exorably destroying the remaining naturalforest and marine habitats. The poor arepaying the highest price, both individuallyand collectively. The European Union there-fore calls for the effective implementationof a comprehensive national family plan-ning policy, promoting access to familyplanning methods.”

Today, I would just like to underlineone central theme, on which I would verymuch like to know your thoughts – in myview, it is essential for the Philippine Stateto be more supportive of the needs of itscitizens in relation to reproductive health,and to devote more resources, at the na-tional level, to making effective reproduc-tive health services accessible to all. Andthe simple reason for this is that this is acrucial responsibility of the Philippines toits people, to its women, and most of all toits children

I believe that the provision of effectiveand accessible RH services is a responsibil-ity of the State towards the people of thePhilippines, because the people of thePhilippines, all 90 million of them, hopeto have a future outside poverty, a futurewhere 8 million Filipinos do not have toemigrate to seek the employment oppor-tunities that their own country cannot of-fer them.

I believe that the provision of effectiveand accessible RH services is a responsibil-ity of the State towards the women of thePhilippines, because it’s appalling to con-sider the statistics of the number ofwomen who die in or as a consequenceof childbirth, or whose lives are shortenedby an inability to space the children thatthey bear.

And most of all, I believe that the pro-vision of effective and accessible RH ser-vices is a responsibility of the State towardsthe children of the Philippines, the chil-dren whose future is blighted by poor nu-trition, by inadequate health-care, by lim-ited educational facilities, by a lack of em-ployment possibilities.

Of course there are many LGUs thatdo what they can, within the limited re-sources available to them. And there aremany civil-society groups that can and dohelp, with great dedication. But reproduc-tive health is not an issue that can be leftto a laissez-faire approach, or where theState can abdicate its responsibilities to-wards its people, its women, its children.

We have heard today of the way inwhich the House and Senate Bills seek toaddress these issues, to require that theState assumes its full responsibilities, andto make it possible for this to happen. Iwould like to end by expressing my per-sonal appreciation for these efforts, andby wishing you every success in the pas-sage of these crucial Bills.

EU Policy Statement on Population Issue2008 Philippine Development Forum

Continued rapid population growth in the Philippines is drain-ing health and economic resources and slowing down economicgrowth. It also threatens the sustainability of rural livelihoods andis inexorably destroying the remaining natural forest and marinehabitats. The poor are paying the highest price, both individuallyand collectively. The European Union therefore calls for the effec-tive implementation of a comprehensive national family planningpolicy, promoting access to family planning methods.

It is time for us to stand with our own two feet and to use thetools that have been granted to us in order to achieve our vision,mission and goals and help our members in the cooperatives asCentral Cordillera Agricultural Programme (CECAP ) and its part-ners like the Agricultural Credit and Policy Council ACPC and theEuropean Commission have envisioned for us to do”, said Ms.Julie Tung-al, the Manager of the Savings and Loans Group Multi-purpose Cooperative (SLGMPC) based in Banawe, Ifugao duringthe closing ceremonies of the Central Cordillera Institution-Build-ing Program Trust Fund (CCIBPTF), held during the first quarter of2009 in Banaue, Ifugao.

Ms Tung-al, through the SLGMPC has been benefiting fromCCIBPTF since 2006 when her group was transformed from aninformal savings and loans group to a multi-purpose cooperative.

During the closing ceremony which was attended by no lessthan the EC Head of Delegation to the Philippines AmbassadorAlistair MacDonald who delivered an inspirational message andhis spouse Brigette MacDonald, certificates of appreciation werehanded out to the 22 cooperatives and 9 savings and loan asso-ciations (SLAs) which have successfully completed the various ca-pacity-building programs.

The training programmes covered areas such as improvinggovernance, better financial management, delinquency control,performance appraisal, credit management, cash managementand proper documentation under the CCIBPTF from 2003 to2009.

Governor Teodoro Baguilat of Ifugao was also present duringthe formal closing ceremonies, together with Ms. Brenda Saquing,provincial administrator of Ifugao and former national co-directorof the Central Cordillera Agricultural Program (CECAP) Phase 2which was implemented from July 1996 to July 2004.

The Agricultural Credit and Policy Council (ACPC), the fundmanager of the trust fund was represented by its Deputy ExecutiveDirector Ramon Yedra while the Land Bank of the Philippines,which provided technical support in terms of capacity-buildingfor the cooperatives and SLAs was represented by Ms. RuthJugueta, Head of the Land Bank Development Assistance Centerfor Region 2.

The presence of Ambassador MacDonald during the closingceremony of CCIBPTF was considered very significant as he alsoplayed a key role during the design phase of CECAP 1, imple-mented from 1989 to 1996. It wasthe first of its kind as an inte-grated rural development program which focused on commu-

nity-based, area-based development planning and empower-ment of local communities and local governments with the aim ofpromoting sustainable long-term improvement in the living condi-tions and development potentials of the people of Central Cordil-lera. CECAP Phase 1 was eventually extended to its second phaseCECAP 2, which was implemented from 1996 to 2004.

The CCIBPTF was established in 2003, one year prior to theclosure of CECAP Phase 2 with the primary objective of providingfurther capacity-building support to 22 cooperatives and nineSLAs to ensure their sustainability and viability as financialorganisations and eventually to be able to access funds from for-mal financial and lending sources for livelihood and business un-dertakings of the members of the cooperatives and SLAs. Over the6 years period of implementation of CCIBPTF, five out of the 22cooperatives are now accredited and can access funds directlyfrom the Land Bank of the Philippines. Two of the 6 cooperativesthat were already bank assisted (BAC) at the start-up of CCIBPTFhave increased their maturity level One hashas become a keycooperative and has a higher credit line and with less interest.

Ambassador MacDonald, in his message during the closingevent, emphasized the EC’s continuing commitment to helpingrural communities build their own development and secure theirfuture.

Ms Julie Tung-al delivered a speech at the closing ceremonies of theCentral Cordillera Institution-Building Program Trust Fund (CCIBPTF),held in Banaue, Ifugao.

Central Cordillera Agricultural Programme(CECAP) Phase 2 continues its legacy inPoverty Alleviation By Emily Mercado

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SHUTTERBUGcorner

(Above left photo) Europe DayReception, 10 May 2009, Mandarin

Hotel

(Above right photo) AmbassadorJaroslav Ludva, Embassy of the Czech

Republic recites a poem during theBersong EuroPinoy in Instituto

Cervantes

(Right Photo) The first European UnionChoral Competition in the Far Eastern

University, Manila

(Below left photo) Journalists LlanescaPAnti, Estrella Torres, Charissa Luci

and Veronica Uy-Vitug pose withAmbassador MacDonald during the

Europe Day reception

8

(Photo above) Grand winners of EuropeKo to from Los Banos National HighSchool with their aseemblage andtrophy during the exhibition in AyalaMuseum, Makati.

(Left photo) A kid tries her hand insolving the puzzle during the first everEuropean children's festival "LakbayinNatin ang Europa" in Museo Pambata.

Rizal Na, Europa PaRizal Na, Europa PaRizal Na, Europa PaRizal Na, Europa PaRizal Na, Europa Pa!

EU Envoys Laud Winners ofEU Whiz and Essay Contest;

UP Mindanao team emerges as grand winnerand will travel to Europe in September

European Union diplomats led by Ambassadors JaroslavLudva of the Embassy of the Czech Republic and AlistairMacDonald of the Delegation of the European Commission tothe Philippines, congratulated the students from the University ofthe Philippines in Mindanao that won the EU Whiz 2009 inter-collegiate quiz held on 18 June in SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City.

Marlon John Danlay, Aaron James Jalalon and Kelly MarieConlon Prof John Bengan (coach) from the University of the Phils.Mindanao (Davao) emerged as grand champions beating con-tenders Justin Herrera, James Ryan Artiaga, Dawn One Ilagan withProf. Elmer Soriano (coach) from the Polytechnic University ofthe Phils. (Manila); and Frecy Catdman, Rochelle Ann Sow andJennierose Serad with Prof Gary Lapiz (coach) from the Universityof the Visayas (Cebu).

The PUP team from Manila placed second while the Univer-sity of the Visayas from Cebu was third.

As the grand winners, the UP Mindanao team will fly toCzech Republic, France and Spain in September, courtesy of theKLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the Knights of Rizal and the EuropeanCommunity in Manila. All the participating teams received tro-phies, certificates and other gift items from the organisers and sup-porters of the EU Whiz.

Ambassador MacDonald commended the winners and par-ticipants of the EU Whiz andexpressed his admiration forthe students who have exhib-ited tremendous knowledgeabout the European Unionand its institutions and poli-cies and about Jose Rizal andhis connections to the EU.

“I hope that you enjoyedthe experience, and that inresearching on Europe andon Rizal, you had a lot of funas well as reflecting on thevalues that helped shape thePhilippines, and can help tobuild it into what it can be-come”, AmbassadorMacDonald said.

The UP Mindanao teamwill be joined by the essaywriting contest grand prizewinner,Joaquin Carlos deJesus from Ateneo de ManilaUniversity.

Other winners in the es-say contest were: Secondplace - Dave ArjieManandeg - Pangasinan

State University; Third Place - Emmeline Carri l lo -Rizal Technological University Mandaluyong City, Fourth Place -Manuel Buensuceso, Jr. - San Beda Colleges, Manila Fifth Place -Joseph Mirro Macatangay - University of Batangas, Batangas City.Other finalists were: Ms. Charmy June Almoquer - West VisayasState University, Main University, Mr. Ron Richard Ramirez -Balinag UniversityMs. Corene Joi Geroso - Centro Escolar Univer-sity, Mr. Lester Hao - Chang Kai Shek CollegeMs. Aguia BarbaraLuneta - University of the Philippines, Diliman.

The EU Whiz and the essay contest were organised by theEuropean Union in Manila, led by the Czech Presidency of theCouncil of the European Union and the Delegation of the Euro-pean Commission to the Philippines, with support from the Or-der of the Knights of Rizal, the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, AirFrance, SM Mall of Asia, Manila Bulletin and Channel 7, the EUMember States’ embassies and EU cultural institutes. The eventswere also supported by JobsDB.com, Jam 88.3 , Magic 89,9,Hershey’s and Max and was coordinated by 3Vents.

The EU Whiz is an inter-collegiate quiz about the EuropeanUnion and its policies and institutions. It started in 2006 in Ma-nila, was brought to Cebu in 2007 and was held last year inDavao. Previous winners from Manila, Cebu and Davao vied forthis year’s ultimate EU Whiz championship, wherein the winners

together with the grand prizewinner of the essay contestwill travel to some EuropeanUnion countries (Czech Re-public, France, and Spain)like Jose Rizal did.

This year’s special focuson Jose Rizal is in line withEurope Month’s “Rizal Na,Europa Pa” theme. Jose Rizal,the country’s national hero,was the unanimous choice ofthe European community inManila when it has decidedto adapt “Rizal Na, EuropaPa” as a special theme for theEurope Month’s celebrationsthis year in line with the 2009European Year of Creativityand Innovation.

Overall, Rizal is docu-mented to have travelled ex-tensively in nine Europeancountries Austria, Belgium,Italy, Czech Republic, France,Germany, Spain, Switzerlandand United Kingdom.

9

Teamwork, trust, and faith, these thingscome into my mind when I think about my EUWhiz experiences and I cannot imagine our teamwinning the Mindanao elimination and the grandfinals without them. Last year, when our teamwas reviewing for the EU Whiz Mindanao elimi-nation, my mother gave me a word of advicebefore I left for school. She said to me, “Kuya,you must always remember that in a quiz bee,it is not enough that you know the answer.” Atfirst, I did not believe her because I always hadit on my mind that in a quiz bee, the most intelli-gent participant always wins. I was wrong.During our training, I realized that what she saidto me was true. In the “mock quizzes” con-ducted by our coach, my team mates alwaysbeat me because I am slow in buzzing. Some-times, even though I know the answer and Ipressed the buzzer first, I get “mental blocked”because of too much nervousness that is whymy team mates get the chance to steal. Havingexperienced these things, I have proven that itis not enough that I know the answer. As ourreview went on, we all realized that our God-given gift on intellect and sharp memory werenot enough to make us winners that is why wedeveloped strategies to avoid giving wrong an-swers and to always become the first one tobuzz. Also, during the process of our training, Ihave seen the great importance of trust and faith.As EU quizzers, we have different areas to

study, I was assignedwith history especial lywith dates, Kelly was in-charge with names andpopular figures, and Aarontook care of the currentevents. This type of strat-egy worked well since ithelped us to focus. I cansay that the areas ofstudy on European Unionis so wide that it will takean individual some timebefore he can master themand since we do not haveenough time to master all,our coach assigned us to our respective areas. Ithelped a lot. During the span of the competition,questions coming from different fields on EUwere asked and even if I did not know the an-swer, I knew either one of my team matesknows it. Through this, I developed trust. Lastly,when participating in a competition, it is advan-tageous if one has faith in God because for me,it gives unlimited strength and courage in everybattle.

I can say that our experiences in theMindanao elimination contributed a lot to our vic-tory in the grand finals. Unlike our performancein the competition held last year in Davao, thistime, we are more matured quizzers. We are

EU Whiz Experience

more confident in answering the questions andless reckless when it comes to pressing thebuzzer. I can also say that we are less nervousand pressured because we do not have a homecourt advantage. These “plus factors” were veryhelpful and I will always treasure them.

Having participated in the EU Whiz andhaving won two titles, I will always be thankfulto those people who have prayed for our team’svictory and also to our coach, Sir John Bengan,for helping us develop our talents as quizzers.

Reminiscing these experiences, I will al-ways remember the buzzers, the lights, thecheering crowd, the ticking of the clock, and thego signal of the quiz master.

Prof John Bengan (coach) and EU Whiz winners Marlon John Danlay, AaronJames Jalalon and Kelly Marie Conlon from the University of the Phils.Mindanao (Davao) emerged as grand champions in the EU Whiz contest. Thewinners pose with the organisers and sponsors during the awarding ceremony.

10

Director of Goethe Institut in Manila, Richard Kunzel and Director of InstitutoCervantes, Jose Rodriguez, take a close look at the original Noli Me Tangere inNational Library during the visit of EU cultural officers in the library and inconnection with the restoration work provided for by the Federal Governmentof Germany.

Mrs Ricarda Kunzel, photographer and one of the officials of the Museum Volunteers ofthe Philippines, shares some of the photographs of the Blumentritt station which she tookrecently. Blumentritt was one of Jose Rizal's friends and an icon in the friendship betweenthe Filipinos and Europeans. Incidentally, Jose Rizal and his connections with Europe tookcentrestage in the Europe Month celebrations "Rizal Na, Europa Pa". ( Photo Credit: Withspecial thanks to Richard and Ricarda Kunzel for these photographs).

From April 27 to April 30, two experts fromthe Deutsches Literatur Archiv Marbach (GermanLiterature Archive in Marbach, Germany) havecarried out a scientific analysis of three manu-scripts of Jose Rizal ’s masterworks in the Na-tional Library of the Philippines. During the pro-cess. the state of preservation of the “Noli MeTangere”, of the “El Filibustcrismo” as well as ofthe translation inlo Tagalog of the “William Tell”by Friedrich Schiller was examined in detail anddocumented.

The objective of thc examination is to workout a plan for the future restoration. preservationand storage of Rizal’s masterworks in order toensure their long-term availability for posteriority.

The project was funded by the Federal Gov-ernment of Gennany as part of its Cultural Pres-ervation Program and by the National Library ofthe Philippines. It highlights the longstanding cul-tural relationship between the two countries andthe legacy of Jose Rizal in th is e lat ionship,whose “Nol i me tangere” was publ ished andpartly written in Gennany.

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Twenty-six new Erasmus Mundus students from the Phil-ippines will soon start their MA and Ph D programmes in Au-gust/September 2009, having received scholarships underthe European Commission’s Erasmus Mundus Programme.

Erasmus Mundus is a co-operation and mobilityprogramme in the field of higher education that aims to en-courage students from outside Europe to take advanced de-grees in the EU, and thus to promote dialogue and under-standing among young people around the world, and at thesame time to strengthen the global links of European highereducation.

Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, Head of the EuropeanCommission Delegation in Manila, recently met with the out-going Erasmus students to congratulate them prior to theirdeparture for their studies in the European Union. Also takingpart were a number of Erasmus alumni, who were able toshare their experiences of studying in Europe, and help pre-pare the outgoing scholars to take the best advantage of theirtime in the EU.

Ambassador MacDonald commended the students andurged them to become ambassadors of goodwill to promotethe interests of the Philippines as well as the friendship andpartnership between the European Union and the Philip-pines.

The Erasmus Mundus programme is among the leadinginternational academic mobility programmes in the world,and students from the Philippines have benefited consider-ably from the programme, just as the EU universities havebenefited from the participation of these visiting students.

Since 2004, a total of 89 students have benefited from theErasmus Mundus programme.

Erasmus Mundus offers masters courses and scholar-ships

In 2009, a new group of students and academics from allover the world will receive scholarships to study or teach inone of the 103 Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses in the EU.These courses are provided by consortia of Europe’s tophigher education institutions, and lead to the award of arecognised double or joint Masters degree.

The courses and the scholarships together meet theoverall objectives of Erasmus Mundus to enhance the qualityof European higher education and promote it around theworld.

In the academic year 2009-2010, about 1,800 studentsworld-wide will receive scholarships to study for one or twoyears on the Masters course of their choice, alongside stu-dents from Europe. Students follow these Erasmus Munduscourses at two or more universities within the Masters con-sortium. Almost 500 academic staff with outstanding trackrecords will also come to Europe for shorter periods of teach-ing, research or tutoring activities within one of the ErasmusMundus Masters Courses.

Also for the academic year 2009-2010, some 7,600 indi-vidual mobility grants will be awarded to fund study, researchand teaching visits in the EU, of between three months andthree years, at undergraduate, graduate, doctorate, and post-doctorate levels, and for academic staff. This includes theopportunity for some 1,600 Europeans to visit partner institu-tions in countries outside Europe and for 6,000 students andacademics from outside the EU to visit European partner in-stitutions.

EC Scholarships for 26 Filipinos to study inEurope under the Erasmus Mundus Programmefor the Academic Year 2009-2010By Marlon John Danlay

12

by Juan Echanove

The Philippines is one of the most vul-nerable countries to climate change.Natural disasters and changes in climatepatterns will seriously affect the natural re-source base on which majority of thepoor depend upon for sustenance andlivelihood.

Several studies have proven that in thePhilippines deforestation is currently themain source of carbon emissions (whichcaused the climate change). The country’snatural forests continue to shrink due toland conversion to agricultural activities,expansion of human settlements, and ex-tractive industries such as logging and min-ing. Ineffective enforcement of forestrylaws and policies has worsened the prob-lem. In the Philippines millions of hectaresof forest lands lie within protected areas,community-based forest management ar-eas and ancestral domain territories. Yetthese areas lack financing mechanisms forthe sustainable development of forestpeoples, for the protection of ecosystemservices and for biodiversity conservation.

Most other tropical countries facesimilar problems of deforestation: World-wide forests are disappearing at a rate ofaround 13 million hectares per year. TheIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange has indicated that land-usechange and forestry, including deforesta-tion, is responsible for some 20% of globalgreenhouse gas emissions.

An emerging concept gaining groundin the climate change international discus-sions is that of reducing greenhouse gasemissions from deforestation and degrada-tion or REDD.

In simple terms, REDD refers to anyconservation or sustainable land-use ini-tiative that effectively mitigates a real defor-estation/degradation threat in a given area.REDD is being proposed as a measure toprovide positive incentives to developingcountries to slow down their rates of de-

Climate Change and Forests:

The Way Forwardforestation and forest degradation to re-duce emissions of greenhouse gases.

At present, REDD is more of a theoreti-cal concept than established practice.Nevertheless, recent experience of conser-vation projects targeting the voluntarymarket for carbon offsets provides an ini-tial appreciation of the potential scopeand limitations of REDD

The European Commission (EC) is atthe front line in the international negotia-tion processes towards integrating theREDD concept in the global climatechange agreement that will replace theKyoto Protocol.

The Commission’s REDD strategy pro-poses that the future agreement shouldaim to reduce the total forested area lostin the tropics by at least half of current lev-els by 2020, and then to halt global forestcover loss completely by 2030 at the lat-est.

To reward developing countries in thelight of the REDD strategy, the EC has sug-gested the creation of an international fi-nancing mechanism, the Global ForestCarbon Mechanism.

There are many factors at play thatsupport the argument that the Philippineswould be promising REDD pilot site.

First, the Philippines has a relativelyhigher good forest governance rating com-pared with other countries which make ita good site for the REDD approach.

The Philippines is also a biodiversityconservation hotspot, which is anotherreason for forest conservation.

Another unique factor in the countryis the institutionalization of land tenureagreements for communities.

So let us keep our fingers crossed andhope that the REDD model will pushthrough in the international climatechange negotiations so that the Philip-pines can benefit from it in the process.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

1 With contributions from the Non Timber Forest Products Network (NTFP-N), the Poverty and Environment Partnership (PEP) and theHaribon Foundation.

13

Participants from China, DominicanRepublic, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, India,Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco,Philippines, Republic of Korea, Senegal,Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe

Together with 17 other developingcountries, the Philippines, upon invitationof the EC Delegation to the Philippines,participated in a five-day phytosanitaryseminar organized by the NetherlandsPlant Protection Services (NPPS) spon-sored by the European Commission’s Di-rectorate General for Trade (DG Trade).Advance Consulting (AC) in the Nether-lands provided support for organisationalmatters.

The seminar was held from May 11 to15 to The seminar was held during thesecond quarter of this year in Brussels andin the Netherlands and involved lectures,discussion, workshops and field trips. Itsmain objective was to increase the partici-pants’ understanding of the EUphytosanitary regulations and procedures,both in terms of the legal and policyframework and in the actual implementa-tion prevailing in the European Union.

The seminar also aimed to contributeto facilitating and enhancing internationalmarket access.

The lectures were held in the confer-ence centre Albert Borschette within the“European Quarter” in Brussels where ma-jor EU buildings are located.

Presentations were focused on themain principles and criteria determiningthe European phytosanitary standards andregulations and the main European Coun-cil Directives that cover the relevantphytosanitary standards, import and ex-port regulations and inspection proce-

dures. The participants were guided alongon the interpretation of such Directivesand their applications through somephytosanitary case examples.

The role and importance of the Inter-national Plant Protection Convention(IPPC) was also highlighted by providingan overview of the main IPPC principlesand guidelines and linking the relevanceof International Standards forPhytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) to acountry’s own national legislation. Illustra-tive case studies gave depth and meaningto the lectures as the participants, workingin different groups, did some simulationwork on the interpretation and applica-tion of the EU Directives.

Visual experience and appreciation ofthe applications of the regulations werefurther provided through a two-day fieldtrip to The Netherlands. The trip in-cluded observation tours to and discus-sions with officials of the VBA flower auc-tion in Aalsmeer, “East African Flowers” inAmstelveen (an import and export com-pany for flowers from East Africa), includ-

Philippine Plant Quarantine and Policy OfficialsParticipate in EU Phytosanitary SeminarBy MG Marges, LR Lacson, JV Bajacan

ing the first online flower auction (TeleFlower Auction). The J. van de Put FreshCargo Handling BV (a large import andtransit company), Seabrex “citrus termi-nal” at the Rotterdam port, and the “PKF”(manufacturer of wood packaging mate-rial), including ISPM 15 heat treatment fa-cilities, were also visited.

Actual observation of application ofEU Directives on phytosanitary standards,import and export regulations and inspec-tion procedures.

The lectures, case studies and field vis-its provided the participants a helpful andfirst-hand overview of the EUphytosanitary regime and its close and di-rect relation with international standards

On the whole, the seminar highlightedthe importance of aligning the nationalphytosanitary (and sanitary) legislations ofa country wanting to gain access and en-try into the EU market. The seminar alsoproved to be a valuable learning tool anda forum for exchanging basic informationand concepts related to phytosanitary is-sues.

What is interesting in this sub-projectwas the remarkable involvement of thewomen’s group in the actual implementa-tion. In fact, it was the women’s groupwho did the canvassing and purchasing ofthe bill of materials. They also kept thelogbook of construction materials deliv-ered in the site. We found this unusual be-cause more often, we see men doing thejob for construction. In many occasionsbarangay folks like women are meek, shyand aloof. In this particular instance, it ap-peared that the empowerment amongwomen members of SUKOR became soevident such that all sectors, particularlythe women were involved. There was alsoan instance where due to the abrupt in-crease in the prices of construction mate-rials in 2008, the completion of the centerbecame problematic. Obviously, the sud-den increase in sub-project cost adverselyaffected the prospect of completion andthere was a need to do something to aug-ment the budget.

The members sought the assistance ofthe MLGU and BLGU. My role at that timewas so crucial not only because I am amember of the MSC but as the MPDC ofthe LGU as well. Again, it was the SUKORPresident (MR. ALIMUDDIN HADJINOR)and women members who did the expla-nations why budget fell short. Knowingfully well the intricacies of the problem, Ifound it proper to accompany them tothe Municipal Mayor and did the expla-nations. After being convinced by our ex-planations the Mayor decided that theLGU will shoulder the additional expenseand incorporate the same in the supple-mental budget No.2 Series of 2008. Thebarangay council also provided theirshare by providing light construction ma-terials.

Prior to its completion, a team fromthe MTF-RDP and BDA conducted an in-ternal review involving all the sectors inthe community. Members of the inspec-torate team conducted an interviewamong the LGU officials, barangay offi-cials, the members of the Peoples Organi-zation and the MSC members, to check if

the sub-project goals and objectives havebeen met along the way.

Finally, on August 28, 2008, the Com-munity and Livelihood Center of Purok 3-A, Koronadal Proper, Polomolok, SouthCotabato was inaugurated by the repre-sentatives of the MTF-RDP, BDA Officialsand witnessed by the Municipal andBarangay Officials.

The MTF-RDP sub-project implemen-tation was one experience to help remindus of the importance of involving all sec-tors of the community in addressing issuesand concerns of public interest. On thepart of the local government unit whatwas paramount was the framework ofgood governance. As service provider, itneeded to do a lot of consultations todraw out the participation of the con-cerned constituents. In our experience,we saw the closer relationship among theIlonggos, Cebuanos and Muslims in thepursuit of the realization of putting up aCommunity and Livelihood Center. Thiswas the barangay people’s common vi-sion, it being a community driven initiativeand regardless of how big or small aproject is, the common denominator anddesired outcome is a visible and opera-tional Community and Livelihood Center.To be candid with you, we are inspiredevery time we pass by and see the Centerelegantly standing along the roadside. Thepeople who shared directly or indirectlyin the project would always happily whis-per, “I have done my best.”

The imperative dictates that LGUshave to: firstly, ensure the installation andinstitutionalization of the four pillars ofgood governance and that the values per-meate not only in its organization but toeach and every constituent as well. Sec-ondly, LGUs have to strive to shed andleave behind its traditional role and imageof a “political administrative unit only.” Asquickly but surely, in smarter ways andmore risk-taking attitudes, LGUs are chal-lenged to do and imbibe the values andpractices of corporate governance whereits core competencies, core values and itsclient focused qualities will be its com-

petitive advantage. Thirdly, the greater de-mand for sustainable development will re-quire that LGUs have to lay-down a solidfoundation for its valued human re-sources.

Our humble beginning with MTF-RDPmay not be the best but to some extent,good enough to guide you in the yearsahead as you proceed with that dream ofeffective collaboration and partnership.

The LGU was involved in the programin the sense that it facilitated governmentmachinery no matter how limited it is. Itwas not there to dictate what peopleshould choose.

Everytime we see the structure, we seeour people’s culture of freedom tochoose; we see the culture of knowing torespect the rights of others; we see the cul-ture of satisfaction no matter how big orsmall the project is; we see the culture ofpeople’s involvement regardless of raceand tribal affiliation and we actually CUL-TIVATE the culture of PEACE AND DEVEL-OPMENT.

by : Emily M. Mercado, EC and Eronio P. MunoMunicipal Planning and Development Coordintor of Polomolok, South Cotabato

Bridging theBoundariesPeace and

CommunityDevelopment

(Final part : continuation from last issue)

14

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The European Commission has approved a grant of •6.4million (approx. PhP 430 million, at current exchange rates)to support food security in Mindanao. This grant will beimplemented by the United Nations World FoodProgramme, and is part of the •1.0 billion EU Food Facility,which was established in 2008 to respond to the dramaticincrease in food prices in developing countries around theworld. Food prices have stabilised somewhat since then butremain high, and vulnerable communities continue to facethe threat of poverty, malnourishment and asset depletion..

In implementing the programme, WFP will work closelywith its main counterpart in Government , the Department ofSocial Welfare and Development (DSWD), as well as the De-partment of Agriculture and the local government units inthe areas concerned (Maguindanao, North Cotabato, SultanKudarat, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur).

This is the second of three EC grants for the Philippinesunder the Food Facility, with a total allocation of more than•30 million.

Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, Head of Delegation ofthe European Commission to the Philippines said “this latestgrant reaffirms the EU’s commitment to helping the Philip-pines address the challenges of food security and poverty.We hope that this will help the Philippines to increase do-mestic food production and strengthen social safety nets,and in particular to lighten the impact of the food crisis onpoor farming communities in Mindanao.” AmbassadorMacDonald noted also that this new programme builds onthe EC’s longstanding partnership with the World FoodProgramme in the Philippines.

Mr. Stephen Anderson, WFP Country Director and Rep-resentative in the Philippines said that this grant from the Eu-ropean Commission will enable the WFP to address the im-pact of high food prices on the poorest of the poor inMindanao, by expanding food-for-assets activities as acomplement to government safety net initiatives such as cashtransfers.

“Improving food production will mean both better nutri-tion and a better standard of living for the poor inMindanao, who remain chronically food-insecure. Our fo-cus will be on increasing crop production through the reha-bilitation of irrigation schemes, storage facilities and feederroads”, he said.

The project will be implemented over 24 months startingin September 2009. It aims to restore small scale agriculturalinfrastructure in poor and food-insecure areas in the highlyvulnerable areas of Mindanao and to assist the PhilippineGovernment at the national level on better targeting throughvulnerability analysis mapping. The WFP will also help thegovernment establish early warning systems, and train keystakeholders in food security data collection and analysis.This will help improve targeting for government social safety-net programmes, including large-scale rice subsidies in areasof urgent need.

European Commission grant of •6.4 millionto strengthen food security in the Philippines

The main beneficiaries will be poor farming communitiesin five Mindanao provinces (Maguindanao, North Cotabato,Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur) by wayof provision of 9,700 tonnes of rice and 970 tonnes of beansto some 1.1 million people from smallholder farming com-munities through food-for-assets initiatives. Food-for-assetsprojects will build important local infrastructure and developskills through the provision of food in return for work or at-tendance at training courses.

Women from these provinces will also benefit from lit-eracy training, support in using improved seed varieties andtraining on post-harvesting techniques, storage and irrigationmanagement. Fisher-folks are also expected to benefit fromsome training programmes.

Background:

• On 18 December 2008, the European Parliamentand Council adopted a Regulation establishing a •1.0 billion‘Food Facility’, which constitutes the main EU response tothe worsening global food security situation in 2007/08.

• Addressing the period between emergency aid andmedium to long-term development cooperation, the FoodFacility will operate for a period of 3 years (2008-2010).

• Within this Food Facility, the European Commissionhas earmarked a total of •31.9 million (approx. PhP 2.1 bil-lion) for actions to be implemented in the Philippines. Thefirst grant of •10.0 million for the Philippines was approvedin April 2009, providing support for an irrigated rice produc-tion-enhancement programme and is implemented by the In-ternational Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in co-ordination with the Department of Agriculture and other con-cerned agencies. The programme aims to secure the supplyof certified inbred paddy seed for Communal IrrigationSchemes in order to improve rice production. About 40.000metric tons of certified seeds will be provided during the2009 planting season. More than 50 Communal IrrigationSchemes will be rehabilitated and more than 250 irrigators’associations will be given support in post-harvesting activities,marketing, and extension and education services.

• A third project (with FAO) is currently beingfinalised, and support will in addition be given to actions tobe proposed by civil society.

• The overall plan for the Food Facility contains a listof 50 target countries which will receive assistance during athree year period. Support will be provided through Interna-tional Organisations, Regional Organisations and nationalgovernments as well as a Call for Proposals for activities byNon-State Actors, Member-States bodies and other eligibleimplementing actors.

• WFP food assistance activities will be closely linkedto other EU Food Facility funded programmes, implementedby IFAD and FAO, focussing on increasing the productivity ofsmall-scale irrigated and rain-fed rice production.

Following the success of last year’sLinggo de Lingua Europa I, the EuropeanUnion Member States’ Embassies togetherwith the Delegation of the European Com-mission to the Philippines and academicinstitutions will hold the Week of Euro-pean Languages for the second time from7 to 12 September 2009. Academic insti-tutions joining this year included: Ateneode Manila University, St Paul UniversityManila and University of the Philippines -Diliman as host partners.

The Linggo de Lingua Europa II kickedoff with a simple opening ceremony fol-lowed by an EU Quiz at the University ofthe Philippines in Quezon City. Ambassa-dors and representatives from the differentEU Member States’ embassies and UPPresident Emerlinda Roman have beeninvited to open the festivities.

The new Linggo de Lingua Europa IIlogo was also presented during the open-

Cine Europa, the tradition ofbringing excellent European filmsto the Philippines, has now turned12 years old and promises to pro-

vide Filipino movie enthusiasts with a range of powerful filmswhich will surely touch everyone’s hearts and minds.

Cine Europa opened on 10 September with publicscreenings from 11 to 20 September 2009 at the ShangCineplex of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City.

The film festival then goes to Liceo de Cagayan de Oro forthe second time from 2 to 4 October and hits Ayala CenterCebu from 9 to 11 October.

In Manila, Cine Europa 12 was opened by AmbassadorAlistair MacDonald, Head of Delegationof the European Commission to the Phil-ippines, Mr Alvaro Trejo, Deputy Head ofMission of Spain representing Presi-dency of the European Union, Atty. AndyBautista, Chairman and CEO of Shangri-La Plaza Corporation and Ms. LalaFojas, Executive Vice-President andGeneral Manager of Shangri-La PlazaCorporation.

Ciné Europa 12 continues its tradi-tion of further enhancing dialogue be-tween European and Filipino cultures

ment” was held on the same date. Thecelebrations concluded on 12 Septemberin Instituto Cervantes.

During the week, students had the op-portunity to get acquainted with EU lan-guages including Finnish, French, Ger-man, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish andto know more about the richness of theculture of the EU and its member states.

The European Day for languages iscelebrated on September 26 each year.The EU’s policy of multilingualism hasbeen an important tool to pave the waytowards achieving economic competitive-ness, growth and better jobs, promotinglifelong learning and intercultural dia-logue and nurturing a space for Europeanpolitical dialogue through multilingualcommunication with its almost 500 mil-lion citizens.

Linggo de Lingua Europa IIheld in September

ing and will be used by the organizingcommittee as the official logo of Linggo deLingua Europa celebrations.

The new logo was created by BrianBantugan who was adjudged as the grandwinner in the logo design contest con-ducted for this Week of European Lan-guages.

On 8 September, language classeswere conducted in the University of thePhilippines in Diliman, Quezon City andwere followed by a conference on “Phil-ippine Perceptions of Europe and the EU”in Ateneo de Manila University. On 9September, St. Paul University Manila heldthe EU Quiz and the Go Navigate Contestwhile the food festival showcasing the bestof European cuisine was held on 10 Sep-tember. A choral poetry was conductedon 11 September at the University of thePhilippines and another conference“Class of Cultures in the Business Environ-

Cine Europa 12 openson 10 September in Manila

through the silver screen. Seventeen European films fromAustria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Switzer-land and the United Kingdom will further endear Europe toCine Europa enthusiasts in Manila, Cagayan de Oro andCebu.

This year’s selection of movies, carefully handpicked tocater to the Filipino audiences, showcases the range andbreadth of emotions from the different stories of love, laugh-ter, hope, despair, survival, courage and, steadfastness.While approaches may vary from country to country, Filipinoaudiences will be able to empathise with the different char-acters in each of the films.

Join "Ating Europa" in Facebook!

European Union events and activities are now postedin Facebook via "Ating Europa" account. You may also pro-vide us with your ideas, suggestions and comments.

In addition to the website of the Delegation of the Eu-ropean Commission to the Phi l ippines (http: / /www.delphl.ec.europa.eu), EU events and activities maynow be viewed in this account.

"Ating Europa" is administered by Michiko Quinto.

Photo credit: European Chamber of Commerce of thePhilippines16