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Link: http://www.dfa.gov.ph/news/pr/pr2005/jan/pr957.htm

28 January 2005 – The Department of Foreign Affairs reported that the European Commission (EC) has agreed to support four (4) project proposals from the Philippines worth € 379,120 or PhP 28 million under its Small Projects Facility (SPF) programme. The projects focus on governance, monitoring of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and fair trade.

The Department said the beneficiaries of the Small Projects Facility are the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), the City of Taguig, and NGOs Action for Economic Reforms (AER) and Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP).

Ambassador Jan de Kok, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to the Philippines, signed the agreements for the projects on 26 January 2005 at the EC Delegation Office in Makati City. Project beneficiaries were represented by DAP President Mr. Eduardo T. Gonzales, Taguig Mayor Sigfrido Tinga, Coordinator for Action for Economic Reforms Mr. Filomeno Sta. Ana, and Coordinator for the Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme Mr. Johannes Henricus de Beer.

The approved projects are the following:

* DAP’s Conference on e-Local Governance: Philippines-European Perspectives. This project will establish a forum where LGUs will share best practices in implementing e-government initiatives. A network of practitioners will be constituted to further build capacity on the subject. Grant Amount: € 117,085 (PhP 8.5 million).

* eTaguig-Enabling Good Governance with European models as benchmarks. It will be a public information access and issue management portal. The project will support good governance reforms in the City of Taguig through ICT and strengthening partnerships with civil society. Grant Amount : € 70, 000 (PhP 5.1 million).

* Action for Economic Reforms: Local Monitoring System on the Millennium Development Goals. The project aims to improve local capacity to monitor progress in attaining the Millennium Development Goals by developing a functional information system appropriate to local needs and resources. Grant amount: € 100,168 (PhP 7.3 million).

* Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP): Modern indigenous handicrafts from the Philippines. The project will explore and expand European high-end fair trade opportunities for indigenous Philippine handicrafts made from non-timber forest products, particularly the MODI label. Grant amount: € 89,727 (PhP 6.5 million)

The Small Projects Facility aims to fund short-term but high-impact projects in strategic areas of economic development and governance. It is a programme designed to support on-going reform and modernization of the Philippine economy while increasing mutual awareness between the EU and the Philippines.

The first call for proposals of the SPF was launched on 05 July 2004 with priority areas focused on good governance, accountability mechanisms and civil society participation, regional economic integration, and corporate governance.

The launch of the second call for proposals for the SPF will be on 07 March 2005. Deadlines of submission of proposals will be in June and September 2005. A total of € 2.2 million (PhP 162.5 million) remains to be allocated for projects in the Philippines for 2005. Complete information on the SPF is available at the EC Delegation website www.delphl.cec.eu.int. END