DILG, India forge pact to fund LGUs’ quick-impact projects

Interior and Local Government secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Ambassador Shambhu Kumaran of the Republic of India signed the pact at the Philippine National Police Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City activating the grants of $50,000 (around P2.7 million) for each of the chosen LGUs’ programs.

Abalos said a committee will identify at least five projects from LGUs nationwide which can be “immediately felt on the ground.”

The secretary told reporters that the grants are for immediate-impact projects that will be delivered outright and felt by Filipinos on-the- ground. A committee will be created to scrutinize such.

According to DILG’s Assistant Secretary for Plans and Programs Francisco Cruz, that committee should immediately convene and set the parameters to start the process of identifying LGU-recipients of the Indian grants.

Cruz said that there will be a “call for proposals” that will determine the number of LGU-beneficiaries and based on such, it is up to the government of India to provide the budgets for the projects.

Kumaran, meanwhile, said the grants may be used to finance edu- cation, health, energy or infrastructure programs of the Philippine government.

“The idea is that [these…‘short gestation’ projects will make an impact at the grassroots…]” the Indian envoy explained. “We start with five…it could go to 10, and [up] to 20 over a period of time…”

He added that “the idea is we move quickly to identify the projects… and [deliver them very quickly at no administrative costs]; just goes in straight, and we do a very short process that has tangible benefits that can be seen very quickly.”

The diplomat declared that the grants are “purely out of friendship, and [have] no conditions attached.”

Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA