Recently appointed World Bank (WB) Managing Director (MD) for
Operations Anna Bjerde
paid a courtesy visit to
Philippine cabinet members at the Malacañang
Palace on May 23, 2023 to
align the Bank’s priorities
with the Philippines’ development agenda.
The meeting was
led by Finance Secretary
Benjamin E. Diokno, who
also serves as the WB
Governor for the Philippines. He was joined by
National Economic and
Development Authority
(NEDA) Secretary Arsenio
M. Balisacan, Department
of Transportation (DOTr)
Secretary Jaime Bautista,
Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Department of Public Works and Highways
(DPWH) Manuel Bonoan,
and Department of Energy
(DOE) Secretary Raphael
P.M. Lotilla.
Press Secretary
Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil
represented the Office of
the President.
During the courtesy visit, the Bank noted
the Philippines’ excellent
progress in the implementation of its ongoing projects and expressed its desire to support the PBBM
administration’s economic
agenda.
In line with the
Philippine Development
Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 for
deep economic and social
transformation, the Bank
agreed to support the government’s priority areas
through engagements in
smart agriculture and food
security, transition to renewable energy (RE), disaster risk management,
strengthening the education system, and water
sanitation.
The WB noted
the opportunities for the
Philippines to further boost
investments and long term
growth given its young
and skilled labor force and
sound macroeconomic
policies.
Notable programs discussed were the
Teacher Effectiveness and
Competencies Enhancement Project (TEACEP)
and Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP)
Scale-Up.
The proposed
TEACEP aims to improve
the quality of and access
to teaching in Kindergarten
to Grade 6 in the regions
of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (BARMM), Region lX (Zamboanga Peninsula), and Region Xll
(SOCCSKARGEN).
On the other
hand, the PRDP ScaleUp will build on previous
PRDP to further improve
farmers’ and fisherfolks’
access to markets and
increase income from selected agriculture and fisheries (A&F) value chains.
The WB-International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD) is the Philippines’
third largest official development assistance (ODA)
partner, with active loans
and grants amounting
to around US$6.8 billion
which is 21.2 percent of
the country’s total ODA.
Prior to the courtesy visit, Secretary Diokno and Undersecretary
Mark Y.C. Joven also met
with MD Bjerde at the DOF
office in Manila on May
22, 2023 to discuss the
continuing partnership in
pushing for transformative
projects on agriculture,
food security, health, education, RE, and climate
finance.
MD Bjerde was
joined by WB Regional
Vice President for East
Asia and Pacific Manuela Ferro and WB Country
Director for the Philippines
Ndiamé Diop. DOF.GOV
