Australia gives more aid to Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Australia is providing an additional $2.5-million contribution to the Philippines’ Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center and an Aus$150-million grant to the Department of Education (DepEd) to help the agency implement the Enhanced Basic Education Program or K to 12.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced Australia’s further support for the Philippine government’s PPP reform agenda that has helped the PPP Center deliver five projects worth over $1 billion.

The most recent contract signed by the Philippine government for the $360-million Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway PPP benefited from over $1 million in Australian funding to facilitate the transaction.

“Australian support is helping the Philippines use PPPs to deliver better services to Filipinos and increase private sector participation and investment in major infrastructure projects,” Bishop said.

“With dozens of PPP projects in development and continuing Australian support, the Aquino administration is well placed to deliver on its commitment to sign 15 PPP contracts by 2016,” she added.

The success of the PPP Center is serving as a model for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation’s pilot PPP Center in Jakarta.

“Australia’s partnership with the Philippines is delivering on our commitment of improved infrastructure development and sustainable economic growth,” Bishop said.

Meanwhile, officials of the DepEd and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) signed yesterday the Memorandum of Subsidiary Arrangement for the Basic Education Sector Transformation (BEST) Program.