IMF may defer visit to RP due to SARS

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) may postpone its post-program monitoring mission to the Philippines that was originally scheduled in May due to lingering fears over the uncontrolled spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) throughout Asia.

Sources told reporters that the IMF was "lukewarm" on the forthcoming mission, an annual review of the country’s overall economic performance headed by the new head of mission, Sean Nolan.

Sources said the IMF has sent feelers that it might have to postpone the mission until the SARS threat has cleared, especially after the ASEAN Finance Ministers Meeting was earlier postponed also because of fears of aggravating the epidemic.

Although the Philippines is still considered SARS-free, travel has been severely restricted by the epidemic which also caused the cancellation of the regional meeting of epidemiologists which was supposed to be held also in the Philippines.

The IMF mission in May is supposed to mark Nolan’s return to the country after his term as IMF resident representative ended last year. He has since been assigned to the IMF’s head offices in Washington until his appointment as temporary head of mission, replacing former head of mission Joshua Felman.

Current IMF resident representative Vikram Haksar would not comment on the reported cancellation of the IMF mission but sources said the PPM review would most likely be reset at a later date.

The May mission would be Nolan’s first PPM mission to the Philippines after he accepted the temporary assignment.

Nolan had been in the country as resident IMF representative from 1999 until late last year when his assignment lapsed and he was replaced by Haksar. He was subsequently assigned to the IMF’s Washington headquarters. – Des Ferriols