The ceremonial signing of the grants at the Pamulaan Center in University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao City between NCIP Chairperson Atty. Leonor Quintayo, Pamulaan Center President Benjamin Abadiano and Willen Verpoest, Head of Contracts and Finance Section represented the European Union Delegation to the Philippines.
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / May 31, 2014) – Some P48 million has been awarded by the EU-funded Indigenous Peoples Maternal Neonatal and Child Health and Nutrition project or IP MNCHN for various projects in the southern Philippines.
In a ceremonial signing of grant contracts on May 30, IP MNCHN Project Mindanao awarded a total of €399,990.48 or roughly around P24 million in grants for IP midwifery scholarship and strengthening of indigenous peoples organizations in the five sites of the project.
A grant of €99,990.48 or about P5.9 million was also awarded to Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF) for full midwifery scholarship of 10 IP students and another €300,000.00 or an estimate of P18 million to Pamulaan Center for Indigenous Peoples Education for IPO strengthening.
The ceremonial signing of the grants was held at Pamulaan Center in University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao City. The occasion was the IP Leadership Development Academy batch 1 completion ceremony led by USeP President Dr. Perfecto Alibin, Pamulaan Center President Benjamin Abadiano, and NCIP Chairperson Atty. Leonor Quintayo; and Willen Verpoest, Head of Contracts and Finance Section represented the European Union Delegation to the Philippines.
“The project’s holistic approach to health care services for the Indigenous Peoples’ women and children is directed towards addressing multi-levels of health needs and concerns of the Indigenous Cultural Communities in general. These grants will address human resource and socio-economic aspects of health service delivery in ICCs specially in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas,” IP MNCHN project director Dr. Lilibeth Malabanan said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
She said Pamulaan Center will manage the grant by creating learning mechanisms that will improve the Indigenous People’s capacity in planning, implementing, managing and sustaining health related activities and other basic services that contribute to the total development of the IPs in ancestral domain areas in Mindanao with Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title. The grant will also create community projects to improve access and quality of health services and will also support livelihood programs.
The midwifery scholarship for IP students will be managed by DMSF purposely to produce between 10 to 15 licensed IP midwives in two-year time and for DMSF to set-up a sustainable scholarship program for Diploma in Midwifery.
These grants are among the commitment of the project for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 which aim to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health in Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples and other disadvantaged communities in Mindanao.
The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, being the implementing agency, will guide and supervise the grants’ implementation. “The task is compelling but NCIP will ensure efficient coordination with Pamulaan and DMSF all throughout the completion of the projects,” Quintayo said.
The United Nations Population Fund will also be involved in the integration of Reproductive Health aspects of the grants. IP MNCHN Project-Mindanao is jointly managed by UNFPA. Its Project Steering Committee is co-chaired by the Department of Health and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.
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