The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) on Thursday said it is seeking strong administrative backing to establish the proposed PHP4.5-billion People’s Development Trust Fund (PDTF) to bolster microfinance and capacity development programs for marginalized sectors nationwide.
NAPC Secretary Lope Santos III pushed for the initiative during a high-level briefing with Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) Undersecretary Georgina Hernandez-Yang.
The fund is vital in providing sustainable socio-economic interventions for the country’s basic sectors, he said
Santos formally sought the assistance of the OES to reinforce and expand the participation and representation of these basic sectors in local and national governance.
Establishing the PHP4.5-billion trust fund remains a central priority for the anti-poverty body, as the PDTF is specifically structured to support grass-roots microfinance initiatives and long-term capability-building programs designed to lift low-income families out of poverty.
This is in line with the agency’s mandate under the Republic Act 8425 or the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act.
The commission had already drafted the executive order, setting up the fund after talks with the Office of the President and two of the NAPC’s member agencies
It also had discussions with several representatives in Congress, hoping for funding allocation of the trust fund through the General Appropriations Act.
For her part, Yang focused on fostering cohesive operational alignment between the two offices to streamline the messaging of primary government priorities and ongoing grass-roots initiatives.
Yang discussed the ongoing implementation of critical local funding mechanisms, specifically the Local Government Support Fund and the Socio-Civic Projects Fund.
She noted that both funds are strategically designed to aid local government units in executing localized development and poverty-reduction programs.
The collaborative briefing was also attended by NAPC Undersecretary Mary Rose Villaflor and Office of the Lead Convenor Executive Assistant Jiru Rada who both signified their support for the unified anti-poverty roadmap between the NAPC and the OES. (PNA)