PHL, India team up to aid 42,000

MANILA and New Delhi are rolling out healthcare and livelihood projects expected to benefit nearly 42,000 people in three provinces under India’s grant assistance program, according to the Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The projects, funded through the Indian government’s Quick Impact Project initiative under the Indian Grant Assistance Program, include a livelihood training center in Bobon, Northern Samar, an upgraded primary care facility in Bacolod, Lanao del Norte and a village health station in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, the DILG said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

The program stems from a 2023 agreement between the DILG and the Indian Embassy in Manila aimed at financing small-scale infrastructure projects in health, education, sanitation and community development.

Local government units may receive up to $50,000, or around P2.8 million, per project.

Only six proposals nationwide were approved during the initiative’s first cycle.

About 15,000 residents in Bobon, Northern Samar are expected to benefit from the livelihood training center, which will host skills development and income-generation programs to improve employment opportunities.

In Bacolod, Lanao del Norte, almost 25,000 residents are set to benefit from the upgraded primary care facility, which now includes diagnostic equipment such as an X-ray machine, reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for medical services.

About 2,000 residents of Aluling village in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur are expected to gain improved access to immediate healthcare services through the newly established village health station. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana