 |
 |
|
|
       |
PBSP to up grant levels for poverty |
|
(December 09, 2003 - Tuesday, Manila Times)
By Elaine Ruzul S. Ramos, Researcher THE Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) is rolling out at least P400 million for the next fiscal year ending September 30 for its various poverty alleviation programs, or 10-percent higher than the present fiscal year’s grant levels. |
|
“The poverty problem of this country is enormous,” PBSP Chair Manuel V. Pangilinan said on the sidelines of the group’s annual membership meeting Thursday.
“The principal focus for this year’s poverty alleviation program is the STEP-UP project in Metro Manila,” he added. The STEP-UP project or Strategic Private Sector Partnerships for Urban Poverty Reduction Program is an area resource management program that’s seen to benefit 5,823 urban poor households in 23 depressed communities in nine Metro Manila cities. The three-year project, funded by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, is now on its second year. The project aims to reduce poverty in 23 communities in Metro Manila by strengthening partnership between the urban poor and the business community through close alliance with credible nongovernment organizations and other stakeholders; providing loan assistance for house upgrading and micro-enterprise; accessing grant for basic community infrastructure; and developing risk reduction plan and management systems. Apart from the STEP-UP program, Pangilinan said the PBSP would continue to pursue development projects in areas in Mindanao where peace has been elusive such as Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu. Other beneficiary areas include Samar, Cebu, La Union, Bohol and Bulacan. These projects are mostly in health education and literacy. PBSP treasurer Ramon R. del Rosario Jr. reported that for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2003, the group approved P389.24 million in financial assistance, of which P246.56 million was in the form of grants and P138 million in loans to small enterprises. Combined household beneficiaries, through 278 projects and 140 partner organizations, reached 293,107 in contrast to the previous fiscal year’s almost 255,000 households. Del Rosario reported that total support and income grew by almost 4 percent to P268.15 million from P258.37 million previously. Meanwhile, income from investments, small enterprise facilities and others generated P38.22 million or a slight improvement from last year’s P35.38 million. Grant expenses at P207.29 million accounted for almost 84 percent of total expenditures in support of the foundation’s programs of assistance, a decrease from last year’s P211.6 million, largely an effect of matching spending with available and assured funding. The PBSP is a private and nonprofit foundation dedicated to promoting business sector commitment to social development. It was organized in 1970 by 50 of the country’s prominent business leaders, and has since grown to become the nation’s largest and most influential business-led social development foundation. The group has 170 member companies as of end-March this year. home | latest news |
 |
Circular Letters/Memoranda |
|
Speeches/ Presentations |
|
Photo Gallery |
|
Rural Banking Week Celebration Golf Tournament |
|
FMMRB Disclaims the White Paper Being Circulated |
|
Federation of Batangas Rural Bankers -Fellowship Trip to China, Sept. 08-13,'08 |
|
Client Satisfaction Survey for Licensing Management System of the Supervision and Examination Sector |
|
Financial Reporting Package 2008 |
|
BSP releases regulations on liquidity, market risk weighting |
