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SMALL YET BIG IMPACT: HOW JAPAN IS WINNING THE HEARTS www.businessmirror.com.ph
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Saturday, September 14, 2024 Vol. 19 No. 333
P25.00 nationwide | 14 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
OF ORDINARY FILIPINO PEOPLE
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By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
FTER hopping from one side hustle to another, Rolando Pega of Pangil, Laguna, realized in 2009 that there’s money in spring onions. But 10 years after, his income doubled with one freebie from Japan—a refrigerated delivery truck. “Napakalaking tulong po ng refrigerated truck,” Pega told the BusinessMirror. “Dati po may delivery truck kami, pero walang aircon. Marami pong nare-reject na gulay [A refrigerated truck is such a big help. We used to have a delivery truck, but it was not airconditioned. Much of our vegetables were being rejected].” With just one truck, Pega said, they were able to supply spring onions and other vegetables to fastfood chain Chowking, in Rizal, and soon in Metro Manila. They have become the regular supplier of Baguio pechay, green bell pepper, cabbage, kangkong, spring onion, red onion, and eggs. “Because the quality of our vegetables has improved, we are no longer facing rejections and we got more customers,” Pega said, partly in Filipino. With higher income comes a better quality of life for Pega. He was able to buy a 45-square-meter lot, repair his dilapidated house and buy a motorcycle. The 59-year-old farmer was
Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) Sector beneficiary
No. of projects
Education
120
Capacity building for education
50
Health
120
Agriculture
86
Social welfare
58
Water system
58
ASHI members pose in front of the refrigerated trucks donated by the Japanese Embassy in Manila. Rolando Pega of Pangil, Laguna, saw his income double after receiving one of these trucks, noting it significantly reduced produce rejections. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JAPANESE EMBASSY IN MANILA
also able to help his adult children financially. The truck was given to them for free by the Japanese Embassy in Manila, through the nongovernment organization Ahon sa Hirap Inc. (ASHI), of which his group is a member.
VEGGIE PRICES UP AFTER TYPHOON ENTENG DISRUPTS SUPPLY CHAIN
Small yet big impact
PEGA is just one of many who have benefited from the Japanese government’s smaller-scale grants to the Philippines. Japan is the largest donor in the world and in the Philippines. STAFF members pose at the newly upgraded birthing facility of the Dingalan Rural Health Unit (RHU), a vital addition made possible by a US$109,567 (P5.6 million) grant from Japan in 2018. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JAPANESE EMBASSY IN MANILA
Since 1966, Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) to the Philippines has reached over US$34 billion. Most of Japan’s ODA grants that are being reported in the media are about big-ticket items which impact the overall Philippine economy, such as the Metro Manila subway (P163 billion), North-South Commuter Railway (P186 billion), airports, seaports, roads and bridges, and flood control. One ODA grant that has not received much media attention is the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), as these projects are smaller in scale compared to the billions of US dollars Tokyo has provided to Manila.
STUDENTS stand proudly in front of PSD’s newly constructed dormitory, made possible by a generous grant from the Japanese Embassy in Manila. Previously, the school could only house 40-50 learners, forcing them to turn away many applicants each year. With the new facility, PSD can now accommodate 90 deaf-impaired students from the provinces annually, providing them with much-needed space and opportunities. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JAPANESE EMBASSY IN MANILA
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YPHOON Enteng, which brought heavy rains and flooding to several agricultural areas in the Philippines, has caused a sharp rise of up to P50 per kilogram in certain vegetables in Metro Manila markets due to disruptions in the supply chain. Based on the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Price Monitoring database, the prices of select vegetables saw significant jumps between August 30 and September 3 following the typhoon’s landfall. Yet, prices remain lower compared to the same month in 2023. Continued on A2
VEGETABLES at Balintawak Market in Quezon City reflect a recent surge in prices following Typhoon Enteng. The typhoon’s heavy rains and flooding disrupted the supply chain, leading to price increases of up to P50 per kilogram for certain vegetables in Metro Manila markets. NONIE REYES
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DBM has released 96.9% of agencies’ ’24 allocation ANDRII YALANSKYI VIA DREAMSTIME.COM
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
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HE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P5.589 trillion or 96.9 percent of the P5.768trillion allocation for 2024 as the government ramped up disbursements to various agencies. The latest status of allotment report showed the DBM released P5.589 trillion from January to August 2024. The current 96.9-percent release rate is faster than the 95.3-percent rate recorded in endAugust 2023. Broken down, the DBM allo-
cated 95.3 percent or P3.822 trillion of the fiscal year 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or the budget allotted by the government to finance its expenditures. About P3.429 trillion, or 97.9 percent of the P3.502-trillion budget, was disbursed to various departments and agencies.
Special Purpose Funds (SPFs), such as budgetary support to staterun corporations, allocation to local government units (LGUs) and calamity funds, among others, were given P393.425 billion or 77.5 percent of the P507.481 billion allocation. Meanwhile, funding for automatic appropriations reached P1.524 trillion, 86.7 percent of the P1.758 trillion earmarked for the said purpose. The DBM has released 100 percent of the allocation for the national tax allotment amounting to P871.378 billion, block grant (P70.513 billion), pension of former
presidents or their widows (P480 million), special account in the general fund (P36.484 billion) and tax expenditures fund/customs duties and taxes (P14.500 billion). Moreover, allotment release for interest payments reached P456.660 billion, 68.1 percent of the P670.471-billion programmed amount. Releases for net lending amounted to P7.175 billion, 25 percent of the P28.700-billion allocation. The DBM has yet to release 3.1 percent or P178.318 billion of the remaining P5.768-trillion budget allotment for the year.
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.0690 n JAPAN 0.3953 n UK 73.5906 n HK 7.1863 n CHINA 7.8779 n SINGAPORE 43.0571 n AUSTRALIA 37.6840 n EU 62.0964 n KOREA 0.0420 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.9414 Source: BSP (September 13, 2024)