Watch out for the new RP-US initiatives

By Alex P. Vidal

“When times are tough, constant conflict may be good politics but in the real world, cooperation works better. After all, nobody’s right all the time, and a broken clock is right twice a day.”— William “Bill” J. Clinton

BELOW are some of the new initiatives announced by US President Joseph “Joe” Biden and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. During their meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C. on May 1, 2023:

Advancing Food Security: On May 5, the United States and the Philippines will convene their inaugural Food Security Dialogue, a high-level platform led by the U.S. and Philippine Departments of Agriculture, mandated to coordinate enhanced bilateral efforts to create resilient food systems and advance agricultural trade, innovation, and sustainability.

The Department of Commerce intends to dispatch its first-ever trade mission on agricultural technology to the Philippines in September 2023, with stops in Manila and Davao City.

In addition, the U.S. National Science Foundation will support joint research on food security with U.S. and Philippine experts at the International Rice Institute in Los Baños.

Advancing Water Security: USAID assistance will mobilize $100 million over the next five years to increase access to safe drinking water for 1.22 million Filipinos and provide sanitation services to 710,000 people, while strengthening water management institutions, increasing access to climate-resilient water supply, improving water resource management, and addressing water financing gaps.

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Protecting Critical Water Infrastructure: The United States and the Philippines will partner to strengthen the security and resilience of Philippine water infrastructure, supply, and distribution systems.

They plan to share best practices and tools, and conduct expert exchanges on ways to prevent, detect, and address physical and cyber incidents.

They will also provide cybersecurity training for government personnel and undertake other capacity building efforts.

Disaster Risk Reduction: USAID is providing an additional $5.3 million for disaster risk reduction and resilience programming in the Philippines, building national and local capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters, while addressing the long-term needs of at-risk communities. In addition, the United States and the Philippines, building upon long-standing cooperation in the field of science, technology, and innovation (STI), will co-host an international workshop on “Harnessing STI for Disaster Risk Reduction” in Metro Manila this year, in partnership with the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development.

Promoting Health Security and Fighting Tuberculosis: USAID will award an additional $8 million, pending Congressional notification, to support global health security in the Philippines and invest in the Philippines’ biosafety and laboratory capacity, disease surveillance, risk communication, and emergency preparedness.

In addition, USAID will partner with the Philippine Department of Health to address the double burden of non-communicable diseases and tuberculosis.

This partnership will ensure all Filipinos have access to quality treatment. USAID will also expand support to the Philippines National Tuberculosis Reference Lab, introducing the use the Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing technology to address drug-resistant strains. (Source: The White House)

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The United States and the Philippines are close partners in promoting health security and supporting inclusive community resilience.

In FY 2022 funding alone, USAID expects to provide over $135 million in development assistance to support these efforts, subject to Congressional approval.

The US Government said is proud to have provided the Philippines more than $52 million in COVID-19 assistance, in addition to donating 33 million safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in partnership with COVAX, building on the United States’ $600 million investment in the Philippine health sector over the past twenty years.

USAID has responded to over 50 disasters in the Philippines since 1990, providing life-saving emergency assistance while building up the Philippines’ domestic response capacity.

Since 2010, the United States has provided over $363 million in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery assistance–excluding COVID-19 assistance–to help over 100 cities and municipalities across the Philippines.

The United States is also supporting Philippine efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to emerging infectious disease threats through technical assistance and investments that strengthen the capacity of laboratories, improve disease surveillance and emergency management systems, and establish robust risk communication and biosafety and biosecurity measures.

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DANGER OF HOT WATER. When we are in a rush, it’s tempting to use hot water from the faucet to brew our Earl Grey. But this shortcut can expose us to contaminants like lead, copper, and rust. “Hot tap water is more likely to leach these compounds from your pipes,” warns James M. Symons, the author of Plain Talk About Drinking Water. That may put us at risk to potential problems, such as lead poisoning.

LET’S WORK SLOWER, BOOST OUR CAREER. We may think owing our bosses requires lots of multitasking, but concentrating on one project at a time will make us successful. “Don’t assume you can process multiple pieces of information simultaneously–spreading your attention too tin ups your odds of making a careless mistake,” says Mark Fenske, Ph.D., a co-author of The Winner’s Brain.

DAMAYAN. New York City-based Damayan Migrant Workers provided a free Legal Clinic at The People’s Forum on April 22. Members received free labor and immigration consultations with pro bono attorneys. Guest attorneys and Damayan allies from three different groups: New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), TakeRoot Justice, and Eisner Dictor & Lamadrid, P.C. Attorneys at Law provided the vital consultation services.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)