Palawan river to benefit in debt swap deal with Italy

MANILA, Philippines - The Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan and four other environmental protection and poverty reduction projects of the Aquino administration have been identified as eligible for funding under the Philippines’ debt-for-development swap agreement with Italy.

A total of P52.1 million in financial grant will be given to these five projects with each entity shelling out no less than five percent of the total project cost, summing up to P10.65 million in counterpart contributions.

Of the total financial aid, P14.9 million will go to the continued conservation of the Palawan Underground River, listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a site of special cultural or physical significance.

Filipino and Italian scientists will be actively involved to ensure technology transfer and enhanced capability in preserving the uniqueness of the river.

To further expand the tourism potential, alternative sites within the area will also be developed.

Another P10.5 billion will be channeled to the preservation of the Mt. Hamiguitan Range and the Arakan Valley Conservation area. The Davao-based project implementer, Philippine Eagle Foundation will engage indigenous communities through conservation agreements in developing about 200 hectares of rain forestation farms.

Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP), which focuses on assisting indigenous communities develop their own businesses, will also get a boost through a P13.2-million grant from the program. The areas of intervention are a barangay each from Impasug-ong and Malitbog, Bukidnon, and Gingoog and Balingasag in Misamis Oriental.

Building enterprises using non-timber forest products is one of the ways of decreasing pressure on the environment and providing sustainable livelihood for IP communities.

Meanwhile, the small projects under the program involve reforestation and livelihood creation. The municipalities of Monkayo and Compostela in Compostela Valley province will receive P7.6 million in financial assistance. 

The money will be used by the Institute of Socio-economic Development Initiatives of Ateneo de Davao University to pursue the Balik-Uma project, which aims to assist communities in going back to agriculture as a sustainable and viable livelihood preferable over small-scale logging and mining.

The remaining P5.9 million will go to livelihood projects in Tabuk City, Kalinga where indigenous trees will be planted and farming, sewing, and food processing will be introduced to indigenous peoples from different tribes.

“These livelihood activities are intended not only as a means of augmenting income, but also as an opportunity for the tribes to experience working together in a neutral environment, hoping to aid in conflict transformation in a locality affected by inter-tribal violence,” the Department of Finance said.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima  affirmed these projects as another stride for the Aquino administration’s campaign for inclusive growth. “We thank the Italian government for continuing to be reliable partners in our growth story. Our progress on the macroeconomic front marches hand in hand with our bottom-up approaches to development, as evidenced by these projects proposed by civil society organizations themselves,” Purisima said.

“The strong focus of these projects on environmental and cultural conservation will protect the wonders that make the Philippines a beautiful destination to millions of investors and tourists abroad. We Filipinos want to be proud to have a kind of sustainable growth that pays deep respect to our natural and cultural treasures,” he added.

The debt-swap deal, which involved the conversion of nearly three million euros or about P157.10 million in Italian loans to funding sources, was signed in May 2012.