Array
(
    [results] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 218454
                    [Title] => Investors wary of gov’t’s ability  to solve political, eco problems
                    [Summary] => The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed satisfaction over the way the National Government handled the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak resulting in a negligible impact on the Philippine economy. 


The multilateral agency also saw "positive indications" in the case of the fiscal deficit that had been almost uncontrollable in the past five years.


                    [DatePublished] => 2003-08-25 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1097672
                    [AuthorName] =>  Ted P. Torres
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [1] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 211412
                    [Title] => ADB trims RP growth forecast for this year
                    [Summary] => The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has scaled down its growth forecast for the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) from four percent to just 3.2 to 3.8 percent.
                    [DatePublished] => 2003-06-26 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1097672
                    [AuthorName] =>  Ted P. Torres
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [2] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 204338
                    [Title] => ADB wants NFA to give up grains trading
                    [Summary] => The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the National Food Authority (NFA) should give up its grains trading function and turn this over to the private sector.


Tom Crouch, ADB country director said allowing the private sector to conduct grains procurement, including rice importation, will encourage transparency and eliminate corruption that often results in a government monopoly. 


                    [DatePublished] => 2003-04-30 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1704647
                    [AuthorName] => Rocel Felix
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [3] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 192420
                    [Title] => RP rejects ADB condition for release of $175-M loan
                    [Summary] => The government will not cave in to pressure from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to lift quantitative restrictions (QRs) on rice, one of the conditions for the release of the second and third tranches of the $175-million Grains Sector Development Program (GSDP) loan.


Instead, newly-appointed Agriculture Undersecretary Arsenio Balisacan said government will insist on keeping the QRs until 2010 and only then will it consider imposing tariffs on the country’s staple food.


                    [DatePublished] => 2003-01-22 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1704647
                    [AuthorName] => Rocel Felix
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [4] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 139837
                    [Title] => Rice-related issues may derail $75-M ADB loan
                    [Summary] => The $75-million investment component of a loan program for agriculture from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is in jeopardy.


The amount forms part of the ADB’s Grains Sector Development Program (GSDP) worth $175-million. Of this amount, the Philippine government has withdrawn $100 million so far.


                    [DatePublished] => 2001-11-12 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1097672
                    [AuthorName] =>  Ted P. Torres
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [5] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 96596
                    [Title] => GMA orders review of foreign loans with ‘onerous’ conditions
                    [Summary] => President Arroyo ordered her economic managers yesterday to conduct a thorough review of foreign loans and assistance programs which carry "onerous conditionalities" for possible scrapping.


The President cited in particular the $175 million Grains Sector Development Program (GSDP) being secured by the Philippine government from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).


                    [DatePublished] => 2001-03-31 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 
                    [AuthorName] => 
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [6] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 98089
                    [Title] => DA to review conditions attached to ADB loan
                    [Summary] => The Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority (NFA) will review the recommendations of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the $175-million Grains Sector Development Program (GSDP).


DA sources said Agriculture Secretary Edgardo Angara has formed a team that will review ADB’s recommendations and conditionalities under the GSDP.


The sources said the study will include a re-assessment of the operations of the NFA to identify the areas in which the grains trading agency has been incurring heavy losses.


                    [DatePublished] => 2000-11-30 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1704647
                    [AuthorName] => Rocel Felix
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [7] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 98019
                    [Title] => NFA to give up grains import monopoly
                    [Summary] => The National Food Authority (NFA) will relinquish its monopoly of grains importation and turn this over to the private sector.


At the same time, NFA is targeting to trim its trading losses to less than P2-billion annually starting next year. Currently, the agency is incurring yearly losses of about P2.5 billion from its buying and selling operations of rice, sugar and corn.


Agriculture Secretary Edgardo J. Angara, said he has asked the NFA to form a team that will study the transfer of the importation function to the private sector.


                    [DatePublished] => 2000-11-24 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1704647
                    [AuthorName] => Rocel Felix
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [8] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 99290
                    [Title] => Gov't to slowly phase down NFA activities
                    [Summary] => 

Government is considering a five-year time frame within which its intervention
in the rice market -- including subsidies -- will be phased out in line with
the impending privatization of the National Food Authority (NFA).

The Department of Agriculture has recommended that the NFA continue holding
rice buffer stocks but to slowly phase it down from the current 30-day buffer
level to 15 days and then to seven days within five years.
                    [DatePublished] => 2000-06-03 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 
                    [AuthorName] => 
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

        )

)

GRAINS SECTOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Array
(
    [results] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 218454
                    [Title] => Investors wary of gov’t’s ability  to solve political, eco problems
                    [Summary] => The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed satisfaction over the way the National Government handled the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak resulting in a negligible impact on the Philippine economy. 


The multilateral agency also saw "positive indications" in the case of the fiscal deficit that had been almost uncontrollable in the past five years.


                    [DatePublished] => 2003-08-25 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1097672
                    [AuthorName] =>  Ted P. Torres
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [1] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 211412
                    [Title] => ADB trims RP growth forecast for this year
                    [Summary] => The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has scaled down its growth forecast for the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) from four percent to just 3.2 to 3.8 percent.
                    [DatePublished] => 2003-06-26 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1097672
                    [AuthorName] =>  Ted P. Torres
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [2] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 204338
                    [Title] => ADB wants NFA to give up grains trading
                    [Summary] => The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the National Food Authority (NFA) should give up its grains trading function and turn this over to the private sector.


Tom Crouch, ADB country director said allowing the private sector to conduct grains procurement, including rice importation, will encourage transparency and eliminate corruption that often results in a government monopoly. 


                    [DatePublished] => 2003-04-30 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1704647
                    [AuthorName] => Rocel Felix
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [3] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 192420
                    [Title] => RP rejects ADB condition for release of $175-M loan
                    [Summary] => The government will not cave in to pressure from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to lift quantitative restrictions (QRs) on rice, one of the conditions for the release of the second and third tranches of the $175-million Grains Sector Development Program (GSDP) loan.


Instead, newly-appointed Agriculture Undersecretary Arsenio Balisacan said government will insist on keeping the QRs until 2010 and only then will it consider imposing tariffs on the country’s staple food.


                    [DatePublished] => 2003-01-22 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1704647
                    [AuthorName] => Rocel Felix
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [4] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 139837
                    [Title] => Rice-related issues may derail $75-M ADB loan
                    [Summary] => The $75-million investment component of a loan program for agriculture from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is in jeopardy.


The amount forms part of the ADB’s Grains Sector Development Program (GSDP) worth $175-million. Of this amount, the Philippine government has withdrawn $100 million so far.


                    [DatePublished] => 2001-11-12 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1097672
                    [AuthorName] =>  Ted P. Torres
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [5] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 96596
                    [Title] => GMA orders review of foreign loans with ‘onerous’ conditions
                    [Summary] => President Arroyo ordered her economic managers yesterday to conduct a thorough review of foreign loans and assistance programs which carry "onerous conditionalities" for possible scrapping.


The President cited in particular the $175 million Grains Sector Development Program (GSDP) being secured by the Philippine government from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).


                    [DatePublished] => 2001-03-31 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 
                    [AuthorName] => 
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [6] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 98089
                    [Title] => DA to review conditions attached to ADB loan
                    [Summary] => The Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority (NFA) will review the recommendations of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the $175-million Grains Sector Development Program (GSDP).


DA sources said Agriculture Secretary Edgardo Angara has formed a team that will review ADB’s recommendations and conditionalities under the GSDP.


The sources said the study will include a re-assessment of the operations of the NFA to identify the areas in which the grains trading agency has been incurring heavy losses.


                    [DatePublished] => 2000-11-30 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1704647
                    [AuthorName] => Rocel Felix
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [7] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 98019
                    [Title] => NFA to give up grains import monopoly
                    [Summary] => The National Food Authority (NFA) will relinquish its monopoly of grains importation and turn this over to the private sector.


At the same time, NFA is targeting to trim its trading losses to less than P2-billion annually starting next year. Currently, the agency is incurring yearly losses of about P2.5 billion from its buying and selling operations of rice, sugar and corn.


Agriculture Secretary Edgardo J. Angara, said he has asked the NFA to form a team that will study the transfer of the importation function to the private sector.


                    [DatePublished] => 2000-11-24 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 1704647
                    [AuthorName] => Rocel Felix
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

            [8] => Array
                (
                    [ArticleID] => 99290
                    [Title] => Gov't to slowly phase down NFA activities
                    [Summary] => 

Government is considering a five-year time frame within which its intervention
in the rice market -- including subsidies -- will be phased out in line with
the impending privatization of the National Food Authority (NFA).

The Department of Agriculture has recommended that the NFA continue holding
rice buffer stocks but to slowly phase it down from the current 30-day buffer
level to 15 days and then to seven days within five years.
                    [DatePublished] => 2000-06-03 00:00:00
                    [ColumnID] => 133272
                    [Focus] => 0
                    [AuthorID] => 
                    [AuthorName] => 
                    [SectionName] => Business
                    [SectionUrl] => business
                    [URL] => 
                )

        )

)

abtest

Investors wary of gov’t’s ability to solve political, eco problems

By Ted P. Torres | August 25, 2003 - 12:00am

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed satisfaction over the way the National Government handled the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak resulting in a negligible impact on the Philippine economy....

Business

ADB trims RP growth forecast for this year

By Ted P. Torres | June 26, 2003 - 12:00am

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has scaled down its growth forecast for the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) from four percent to just 3.2 to 3.8 percent.

Business

ADB wants NFA to give up grains trading

By Rocel Felix | April 30, 2003 - 12:00am

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the National Food Authority (NFA) should give up its grains trading function and turn this over to the private sector. Tom Crouch, ADB country director said allowing the private...

Business

RP rejects ADB condition for release of $175-M loan

By Rocel Felix | January 22, 2003 - 12:00am

The government will not cave in to pressure from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to lift quantitative restrictions (QRs) on rice, one of the conditions for the release of the second and third tranches of the $175-million...

Business

Rice-related issues may derail $75-M ADB loan

By Ted P. Torres | November 12, 2001 - 12:00am

The $75-million investment component of a loan program for agriculture from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is in jeopardy. The amount forms part of the ADB’s Grains Sector Development Program (GSDP) worth...

Business

GMA orders review of foreign loans with ‘onerous’ conditions

March 31, 2001 - 12:00am

President Arroyo ordered her economic managers yesterday to conduct a thorough review of foreign loans and assistance programs which carry "onerous conditionalities" for possible scrapping. The President...

Business

DA to review conditions attached to ADB loan

By Rocel Felix | November 30, 2000 - 12:00am

The Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority (NFA) will review the recommendations of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the $175-million Grains Sector Development Program (GSDP). DA sources...

Business

NFA to give up grains import monopoly

By Rocel Felix | November 24, 2000 - 12:00am

The National Food Authority (NFA) will relinquish its monopoly of grains importation and turn this over to the private sector. At the same time, NFA is targeting to trim its trading losses to less than P2-billion...

Business

Gov't to slowly phase down NFA activities

June 3, 2000 - 12:00am

Government is considering a five-year time frame within which its intervention in the rice market -- including subsidies -- will be phased out in line with the impending privatization of the National Food Authority...

Business