USAID, Bohol projects pact signed

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — United States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg flew into Bohol to witness the signing of the memorandum of understanding for the implementation of development projects in this city.

The MOU, which picked this city under the Cities Development Initiatives, was signed by Mayor John Geesnell Yap and mission director Gloria Steele of the US Agency for International Development.

Goldberg also graced the inauguration of the USAID-COMPETE project exhibit and other USAID projects in Bohol yesterday at the Bohol Tropics Resort Club.

Governor Edgardo Chatto and Mayor Yap led provincial and city officials in welcoming the ambassador and his entourage to the city.

This was the ambassador’s second visit here, the first was on December 12, 2013 when he personally saw firsthand the situation of Bohol in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck the province on October 15, 2013.

The ambassador is expected to visit interior town of Carmen today for inspection of USAID projects in that area.

Tagbilaran was selected as one of the beneficiaries of CDI to create vibrant and livable cities for balanced urban growth. The MOU provides for the USAID and this city to cooperate in the “catalytic, sustainable, transparent and equitable economic growth” in speeding up the inclusive growth of the city.

“CDI provides an opportunity for USAID to strengthen its programming by being more strategic and focused in pursuit of shared objectives across its portfolio in the areas of economic development and governance, education, health and environment, energy and climate change,” the MOU reads.

The USAID has committed to help the city in infrastructure, education, energy, environment, health, disaster preparedness and mitigation, as well as funds for technical, training and commodities.

This city government, for its part, vowed to provide support to any undertaking under this MOU, including office space, personnel in administrative, clerical for USAID consultants and legislative support in the form of ordinance and administrative issuances.

The CDI came in 2011 when the US and the Philippines “agreed to a Partnership For Growth to address the most binding constraints to economic growth and development in the Philippines.”

The program was established by US President Barack Obama to promote “broad-based, inclusive and resilient growth” of selected cities in the Philippines.  (FREEMAN)