In signing th EO last June 20, the President said the PDTF was set up under Republic Act. 8425, also known as the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act.

She said the PDTF should be used to develop a nationwide network of viable and sustainable micro-finance institutions and micro-enterprise business development service groups.

But the PDTF  should also provide a supportive and appropriate policy environment and institutional framework for a private-led micro-financial market, she said.

Under RA 8425, the President was empowered to assign the administration of the PDTF to the PCFC, a government-controlled corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Administrative Order 148 dated September 8, 1994.

The PCFC is tasked to mobilize financial resources from both local and international funding sources for micro-finance services for the exclusive use of the poor.

The act also assigned the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) to monitor the utilization of the PDTF.

As such the, NAPC shall source funds for establishing and augmenting the PDTF and recommend to the PCFC the accreditation of groups and institutions that shall act as resource partners in conducting institutional development and capability-building activities for accrediated organizations and beneficiaries of micro-finance and micro-enterprise programs.

It shall further ensure that validation and monitoring activities are conducted for funded institutional development and capability building projects/programs/beneficiaries; and promote research and development work on livelihood and micro-finance technology and publications/communications programs that assist beneficiaries.

The PDTF has been alloted P4.5 billion over a span of 10 years and other additional amounts provided through voluntary contributions, grants and gifts from both local and foreign sources as may be accepted or decided on by the NAPC.

"Any amount added to the PDTF shall form part of the Corpus of the PDTF, unless the donor, contributor or grantor expressly provides as a condition that the amount be included in the disbursable portion of the PDTF," she said.

The PCFC directly administers the utilization of the trust fund. "With the approval of the Department of Finance, the PCFC shall deposit the PDTF in a duly authorized banking institution; and /or invest the PDTF in government securities.

The PCFC shall not have the authority to invest the PDTF in other securities or assets, " she said.

As provided under Section 11 of RA 8425, PDTF income should be used for:

-- Consultancy and training services for micro-finance institutions and their beneficiaries on the establishment of the necessary support servcies, social and financial preparation of beneficiaries, preparation of plans and programs including fund sourcing and assistance, estabilshment of credit and savings monitoring and evaluation mechanisms;

-- Scholarships or traning gratns for micro-finance staff and officers, and selected beneficiaries;

-- Community organizing for micro-finance, livelihood and micro-enterprise training services;

-- Livelihood/micro-enterprise project/programs, and other similar facilities;

-- Information and communication systems, such as bseline surveys, development monitoring systems, socio-economic mapping surveys, organizational assessments and other similar activities;

-- Legal and other management support services such as registration, documentation, contract review and enforcement, financila audit and operational assessment;

-- Information dissemination of micro-finance technology and

-- Other activities to support micro-finance, as approved by the PCFC.

The EO also provides that the PDTF may be accssed by registered micro-finance organizations engaged in providing micro-enterprise services for the poor, local government units (LGU) providing micro-finance and micro-enterprise programs to their constituents; and LGUs with self-help projects where at least 25 percent of the total earnings of the PDTF shall be used exclusively for the provision of materials and technical services.

As PDTF administrator, the PCFC shallnot qualify as a PDTF grantee.

The EO shall take effect 15 days from publication in two newspapers of general circulation.

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The President made this directive during the 13th Regional Development Council-Regional Peace and Order Council (RDC-RPOC) meeting in Cotabato City last Tuesday.

Region 12 is composed of the provinces of North Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat and the cities of Cotabato, General Santos, Kidapawan, Koronadal and Tacurong.

During the meeting, RDC Region 12 chairman and Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema told the President that while there is lac of information on the magnitude of the drug problem, "there is an apparently increasing number of drug users, especially among the youth in the region."

Sema noted that most of these drug users are coming from poor families who could not afford to pay for rehabilitation-related expenses.

"They need to be rehabilitated to keep them from making further troubles in the community," Sema said.

The nearest rehabilitation center is situated in Davao City, which is about 250 kilometers from the center of Region 12.

Accordng to Secretary Soliman, the Davao rehabilitation center only serves as a "halfway house" for first-stage drug addicts and can only accomodate about 50 patients at one time.

The President also ordered all other agencies such as the Department of Health (DOH) and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) to assist the DSWD in the proposed expansion program of the Davao rehabilitation center.

She said there is no need at the moment to set up another rehabilitation center elsewhere in the region since rehabilitation cases are not necessarily emergency cases.

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During her visit to the Davao region last week, the President urged the people of Davao del Norte to work towards the goal of making the Philippines as the number one banana producer even as she congratulated the province for being the center of the country's "strong and vibrant" banana industry.

Aside from the upward trend in the banana industry, the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) has reported that mango output in Region XI has increased in the first quarter of this year by 6.77 percent.

Davalo del Sur remained by far the region's biggest producer, accounting for more than 50 percent of total production with 1,640.4 metric tons, followed by Davao Oriental at 715 metric tons. Davao City at 560 metric tons. Davao del Norte at 322 metric tons and Compostela Valley at 175.037.

For the first quarter of year 2002, the entire Davao region accounts for the production of 482,553 metric tons of banana and 3,462 metric tons of mango.

As compared to the same period last year, banana and mango production grew by 2.9 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively.

In a report to the President, Regional Development Council (RDC) Chair for Region XI Jesus Ayala said they are pushing for a fully integrated mango industry cluster to enable them to establish a strong niche for both domestic and export markets by year 2004.

Ayala said they have just recently started branding the region's mangoes, some of which have already found their way in the stringent Taiwanese and Australian markets, thus providing that they have reached world standards.

Further, Ayala said they are also pushing for the strengthening of tropical fruit research and mango information network, engage in investment promotion, and undertake more aggressive market promotion and development.

As for the banana industry, Ayala informed President Macapagal-Arroyo of plans to encourage investors to go into banana processing and packaging.

During her visit to the Davao region, the President disclosed that the Philippines is now the wold's number three banana-producing country after displacing Columbia.

She said that if the big China market would be added to the traditional markets of the Philippines for its banana exports, then the country might become the world's top banana-exporter.

"We might even become the number two or the number one banana producer in the world, and that is up to the people of Daval del Norte to work for it." the President said.

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PAF’s path to modernization includes aircraft upgrade projects, acquisition projects, bases support and system development and real estate management.

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