$500-M PANIBAGONG LOAN NG PINAS PARA SA COVID-19 RESPONSE APRUB SA WORLD BANK

INAPRUBAHAN ng World Bank ang $500 million (P22 billion) na panibagong utang ng Filipinas para sa paglaban sa coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Ayon sa World Bank, ang pondo ay gagamitin sa pagtulong sa mga  pamilya at maliliit na negosyo na hinambalos ng pandemya.

“This new financing can help with the delivery of financial support for struggling families and communities while the country is ramping up efforts to contain the pandemic and reduce its economic impact,” wika ni Achim Fock, acting country director ng World Bank sa Filipinas.

Ang bagong pondo mula sa  Washington-based lender ay nasa ilalim ng Philippines Emergency COVID-19 Response Development Policy Loan na babayaran sa loob ng 29 taon at may grace period na 10 at kalahating taon.

Ang $500-million na panibagong loan ay pangatlo na sa funding support na ipinagkaloob ng World Bank sa Filipinas. Ang una ay $100-million para sa kagyat na pangangailangan sa healthcare at ang pangalawa ay $500-million para sa disaster risk management programs tulad ng COVID-19 crisis.

“We thank the World Bank for its prompt action on this financial support for the Duterte administration’s efforts to provide immediate relief to poor and low-income Filipinos plus small business workers who lost their income as a result of the work stoppages induced by the coronavirus pandemic,” pahayag ni Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III.

“This swift loan approval underlines the strong international confidence in the government’s capability to meet the massive financial requirements of containing this global health emergency,” dagdag pa niya.