The Administrators Weekly : January 14 to 20, 2008
In Focus
USAID and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Train Prosecutors for Cases Involving Extrajudicial Killings
USAID and the ADB partnered to train 30 new state prosecutors from the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman for investigation, inquest and trial procedures in cases involving extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. The training was held from January 7-11 for public prosecutors in the National Capital Region who have been in service for less than two years. USAID supported sessions focusing on the role of prosecutors in protecting human rights and the appreciation, use and preservation of forensic evidence. Six additional training events will be held this year for prosecutors in other regions of the Philippines.
Weekly Highlights
Training Out-of-School Youth in Post-Conflict Areas
USAID is helping out-of-school youth in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao find gainful employment. USAID’s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) project conducted livelihood courses in baking and food processing for 124 youth from Talipao, Sulu the week of December 11. The trainings were conducted with support from barangay (village) leaders in Talipao and the local government’s skills training agency. USAID launched its out-of-school youth program in Sulu in 2004 and has since helped prepare 1,587 young people for employment in the peaceful economy. EQuALLS2 will provide livelihood skills training to 100,000 out-of-school youth in Mindanao through 2011.
Banana cake, chips, and French sardines are some of the many food products these out-of-school youth in the municipality of Talipao, Sulu have learned to prepare under the USAID-funded EQuALLS project.
Zamboanga City Paves the Way for an HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Program
On January 10, United States Government (USG) officials, led by Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney, U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Staff Member Paul Grove, and USAID/Philippines Director Jon D. Lindborg, met with Zamboanga City Mayor Celso L. Lobregat to confirm USG support for the city's HIV-AIDS Prevention and Control Program. A USAID partner since 1996, Zamboanga City has forged an effective response to the threat of HIV/AIDS through strong political will, multi-sectoral partnership, media advocacy and community involvement. The creation of the Zamboanga City Multisectoral AIDS Council (ZCMSAC) has provided clients with access to quality HIV prevention education, regular medical examination, and reproductive health care services. In addition to Mayor Lobregat, the Ambassador's party was also received by Congresswoman Marie Isabelle Climaco, City Health Officer Rodel Agbulos, ZCMSAC members, and representatives of other government agencies.
U.S. Ambassador Kenney Inaugurates New Road in Basilan
At a ceremony held in Tuburan Municipality on the island of Basilan on January 10, U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney turned over the Campo-Uno (Lamitan)-Tuburan Road. Built by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, the 13.4 kilometer road connects the municipalities of Tuburan, Akbar and Hadji Mohammad Ajul to the Basilan ring road and the rest of the province. Prior to the road’s upgrading, these municipalities were largely isolated from the rest of Basilan which contributed to slow economic growth, widespread poverty and problems with lawlessness. The new road will ease residents' access to markets in the major towns of Basilan, and to social services, thereby contributing to overall peace and development in the three municipalities.
U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney and Basilan Vice Governor Al Rasheed Sakkalahul cut the ceremonial ribbon during the turn-over ceremony of the Campo-Uno (Lamitan)-Tuburan Road. Looking on are USAID Mission Director Jon Lindborg and USAID Economic Growth Advisor Robert Barnes.
The improved road, partly paved concrete and partly gravel, has made public transportation more available and less expensive for the residents of Tuburan, Akbar and Hadji Mohammad Ajul Municipalities
Senate and USAID Join Philippine Daily Inquirer's Read Along Program
USAID's Sustainable Energy Development Program (SEDP) launched its new "Fuels for Life" children's storybook as a part of the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Read Along Program on January 12 in Makati. The "Fuels for Life" storybook features a talking coconut, sugar cane, and jatropha seed to teach elementary school-aged children about the use of local crops to produce biofuels. Biofuels advocate Senator Miguel Zubiri and champions race car drive Gaby de la Merced read to 80 local elementary school students as a part of the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Read Along Program. As a part of an outreach campaign to promote biofuels, SEDP will produce "Fuels for Life" coloring books for schools in each of its six partner cities.
"Green Courts"
The Philippines Supreme Court designated 117 trial courts as "Green Courts” for environmental cases involving illegal fishing, logging and mining, and the dumping of toxic wastes. The Supreme Court will conduct capacity- building programs for the personnel of environmental courts and appellate courts. The designation of "green" courts was recommended by the Philippine Judicial Academy after it was proposed during the Asian Justices Forum on the Environment held in July 2007 with USAID-assistance through the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN). “It is now beyond argument that environmental protection is indispensable to support and sustain some of the most fundamental of human rights, such as the rights to life, to health and to well being,” Philippines Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno said in a speech at the July 2007 Asian Justices Forum.
Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Program Supports Formation of Inter-agency Network to Fight Corruption
The Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) of the Department of Finance, with support from the USAID-implemented MCA Philippines Threshold Program, spearheaded the formation of a network of government financial data and intelligence agencies in the central Philippines to strengthen evidence-gathering and information security capabilities. The network will also enhance protection of whistleblowers participating in the Philippine Government’s anti-corruption drive. Members of the network include the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, Land Transportation Office and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The inter-agency network will be replicated by RIPS in other corruption-vulnerable areas in the northern and southern Philippines.