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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider EU, UNICEF back child-focused budgeting in Philippines with $6-million grant

EU, UNICEF back child-focused budgeting in Philippines with $6-million grant

Published Apr 30, 2025 07:34 am

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The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has entered a partnership with the European Union (EU) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to launch a $6-million public finance facility over three years.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, April 30, the DBM said the program aims to strengthen child-focused budgeting and ensure transparent, sustainable spending for the welfare of vulnerable children.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman expressed gratitude to the EU and UNICEF for supporting children’s programs, adding that the government remains committed to prioritizing education and youth development.

Specifically, the facility aims to deliver an improved Program Convergence Budgeting (PCB) system, which will support child-focused sectors—especially early childhood care and development—by ensuring timely and efficient allocation of public funds.

PCB promotes a coordinated approach, aligning government resources across departments and agencies working toward shared goals.

It also seeks to create policy budget tools, which means a tagging and tracking system will be developed to help local governments improve planning, budgeting, and delivery of social services for children.

Massimo Santoro, ambassador of the EU to the Philippines, said the EU is “committed to supporting the Philippines in building a resilient, shock-responsive, and inclusive society. This facility will provide the necessary resources and support to ensure that children receive the care and protection they deserve.”

“Beyond being a human rights concern, investing in the children of today is also a strategic choice: it means investing in the future of the Philippines,” he added.

For its part, Behzad Noubary, UNICEF acting representative to the Philippines, said this new facility “represents a significant step towards improving public investments. In the longer term, we want to increase the coverage of social protection programmes and family-friendly policies for children living in multidimensional poverty, so they can survive and thrive.

The program is also being implemented in partnership with key government agencies, including the Department of Finance’s (DOF) Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), the Council for the Welfare of Children, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), the Early Childhood and Care and Development (ECCD) Council, Department of Education(DepEd), and Department of Health (DOH).

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UNICEF European Union (EU) Department of Budget and Management (DBM)
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