By Ric V. Obedencio
TAGBILARAN CITY, Feb. 5 (PNA) — United States ambassador to the Philippines Philip S. Goldberg on Wednesday graced the inauguration of the USAID-COMPETE project exhibit and other USAID projects in Bohol at Bohol Tropics Resort Club minutes after he arrived on board an airplane.
Gov. Edgardo Chatto and Mayor Yap led provincial and city officials in welcoming the ambassador and his entourage.
During his second visit here, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that picked this city under the Cities Development Initiative (CDI) was signed by City Mayor John Geesnell Yap and mission director Gloria Steele of the United State Agency for International Development (USAID).
This is the ambassador’s second visit here, the first on Dec. 12, 2013 when he personally saw first hand the situation of Bohol in the aftermath of magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Bohol on October 15, 2013.
The ambassador is expected to visit interior town of Carmen Friday for inspection of USAID projects.
This city is selected as one of the beneficiaries of CDI with the aim to create vibrant and livable cities for balanced urban growth. “CDI provides an opportunity for USAID to strengthen its programming by being more strategic and focused in pursuit of shared objectives across its portfolio in the areas of economic development and governance, education, health and environment, energy and climate change.”
The MOU provides the USAID and this city shall cooperate in the “catalytic, sustainable, transparent and equitable economic growth” in speeding up of the inclusive growth of the city.
For its part, the USAID is committed to assist the city in infrastructure, education, energy, environment, health, disaster preparedness and mitigation. It also intends to provide funds, depending on the availability of fund, technical, training and commodities.
Under the MOU, this city commits to provide support to any undertaking, including office space, personnel in administrative, clerical for USAID consultants and legislative support in the form of ordinance and administrative issuances.
CDI came following the US and the Philippines in 2011 “agreed to a Partnership For Growth (PFG) to address the most binding constraints to economic growth and development in the Philippines.” The said program established by President Barack Obama aims to promote broad-based, inclusive and resilient growth. (PNA)