MCC, RPMT and community stakeholders dialogue in Paranas

By EMY C. BONIFACIO, Samar News.com
October 8, 2010

CATBALOGAN, Samar  –  Barely a week ago, President Noynoy Aquino in his recent visit to the US announced that he is bringing home to the Philippines a substantial amount of pro-poor projects that identified Samar as a beneficiary. Immediately, the MCC team visited the project sites and conducted dialogues with its stakeholders in Samar. The Local Government of Paranas hosted the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Regional Project Management Team (RPMT) and Community Stakeholders Dialogue last October 3, 2010. Paranas has been considered as a recipient of the KALAHI-CIDSS project that will be implemented by the MCC.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an innovative and independent U.S foreign aid agency that is leading the fight against global poverty. It has formed partnership with some of the world's poorest countries who are committed to good governance, economic freedom and investment in their citizens by providing large-scale grants to fund country-led solutions for reducing poverty through sustainable growth. In order to qualify as beneficiary, a compact-eligible country has to undergo a competetive selection wherein the MCC Board examines its performance on 17 independent and transparent policy indicators based on performance. Countries should likewise identify their priorities in achieving sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction and set up its own local Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) to manage and oversee all aspects of implementation.

The MCC Board of Directors has approved a five-year $434 million compact with the Government of the Republic of the Philiipines aimed at reducing poverty through economic growth. It is intended to support reforms and investments to modernize the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), expand and improve a community-driven development project, KALAHI-CIDSS and rehabilitate a secondary national road in Samar province. This compact was signed last September 23, 2010.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Team headed by its Country Director, Mr. Matthew Bohn visited Paranas and parts of Eastern Samar. With him were Ben Campbell, Director for Environmental and Social Assessment and Jozefina Cutura, a Senior Program Officer and Gender Specialist.  Also with the team are Benilda Redaja, National Deputy Project Manager, Cesario Tingzon, National Infrastructure Engineer, Jaime P. Eclevea, DSWD 8 ARD and Regional Project Manager. They conducted a dialogue and focused group discussions with men and women, separately, who will be involved in the implementation of the MCC and the Philippine Government compact for the Samar Road Project of DPWH and KALAHI-CIDSS of DSWD under the grant agreement of the US. They, likewise, inspected the 222kms road network connecting 16 Municipalities of Samar for a proposed $214.4M road project which will be implemented soon.

Mayor Babalcon shared a "journey with KALAHI-CIDSS" experience in his municipality to stress its success in human resource development using the KC (KALAHI-CIDSS) process. "One good thing about KC is that from the inception of the program, ordinary people are being capacitated and trained in the simplest way, thereby enhancing their knowledge as they go further and further in the learning process. At the end, one can see the real transformation of these ordinary citizens becoming resource persons and have mustered confidence in themselves. They participate and decide matters affecting their welfare. KC instills value formation among barangay folks and they become ready to render volunteer work. Capacities to plan for their own development are enhanced and safeguards are put in place so that resources are not wasted or lost," were just a few learnings that Mayor Babalcon shared. He was proud to have successfully implemented KC programs in his locality where they got cited for a regional award and nominated in a KC national competition in Manila.

The Secondary National Road Development Project is expected tol reduce transportation costs and bring about savings in vehicle operating costs, road maintenance costs, increase investment in and between provinces of Samar and Eastern samar and ultimately increase incomes while the Adminsitration Reform Project with the BIR will address the need to raise tax revenues, reduce tax evasion and revenue agent-related corruption.

The MCC Team encouraged Samarnons to actively participate in the monitoring of its implementation. Mr. Matthew Bohn emphasized that the resources should be responisbly used in order to bring impact to the lives of the people. "We have a lot to do. Concentrate on preparatory works, strengthen gender participation in economic activities and implement projects transparently and effectively. This is a joined effort. We would like to help you, learn from you, so that every peso is transparently used and with end results. Let's take this forward and let's make this the best development journey in the Philiipines," were the final words of the Country Director.

As counterpart of the identified beneficiaries, various organizations have signified their commitment to take part in the monitoring. The Multi-sectoral Alliance for Transparency and Accountability (MATA-Samar), a SIPPAD sub-organization, has offered the voluntary technical services of its engineer-members to oversee that the project implementation will be in accordance with the MCA policies and guidelines. In the same manner, women organizations such as the Katungod han Samareña Foundation, Inc. (KSFI) through its Executive Director, Ms Myra M. Tambor assured the mobilization of women's organization in various related activities.