|
IF the
Philippines wants to make good its commitment to meet
the provisions set in the Paris Declaration on Aid
Effectiveness, the government must institute a review of
the Official Development Assistance (ODA) Act of 1996.
In a forum on aid effectiveness with
several civil-society organizations (CSOs), Roderick
Planta, head of the National Economic and Development
Authority’s (Neda) Project Monitoring Staff, and Bayan
Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño agreed that a review
will increase the country’s chances of meeting the Paris
Declaration provisions.
The Paris Declaration has 12 indicators
classified into five commitment areas. Overall, it
called for greater transparency in the delivery and
management of foreign aid in order to achieve the United
Nations Millennium Declaration and the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
Casiño said reviewing the ODA Act of
1996 is not only timely but “overdue,” particularly
because of the urgency with which the Philippines must
meet its commitments to the Paris Declaration.
Among the items that may be amended is
the provision on bilateral loans and the inclusion of
increased CSOs participation in ODA projects,
particularly in postevaluation.
The Bayan Muna representative said CSOs
must also play a part in the disbursement of ODA
funding, by way of monitoring the physical targets of
projects and identifying bottlenecks.
Planta said the Neda, as an
organization, welcomes the participation of CSOs in
project planning and implementation.
“It’s a big bureacracy. We need
everybody’s help,” Planta said at the Philippine
Consultation on Civil Society Organizations and Aid
Effectiveness on Friday in Pasig City.
Casiño said if consultations on the ODA
Act review starts soon, a draft of the amendments may be
ready within one year.
Meanwhile, members of AidWatch
Philippines vowed to unite to contribute to improving
the country’s aid system, with a view to becoming tools
for social development.
“Aid can potentially contribute to
national development, to the realization of economic,
social and cultural rights and to the achievement of the
MDGs. In principle, it can add greatly to the financial
and technical resources for programs and projects of the
national government, local government units and civil
society,” AidWatch said in a statement.
AidWatch stressed the urgent need to
overhaul the aid system to be able to make aid more
effective. The CSO will push for and support national
and local development agendas that will made ODA
progressive in order to create a global aid system that
can reduce poverty and inequality.
Its members are committed to call for
the removal of policy conditionalities and tied aid;
increase of grant aid and aid for rural development,
social services, gender, human rights and the
environment; greater tranparency and accountability
during negotiation, design and implementation of ODA
projects; increase of public participation and
accountability in recipient countries; and a clear
national policy on CSO involvement in the ODA system.
AidWatch committed to sustain, improve
and expand the delivery of aid-financed services for the
grassroots communities and sectors that are most in
need; increasing community awareness of aid issues and
aggressively bring the voice of the communities into
official mechanisms and processes; and promoting,
asserting and defending citizens’ and CSO participation
in aid-related mechanisms and processes in the country,
as well as internationally. |
