Turnover Ceremony for “The Project for Construction of Barangay Health Stations and Procurement of Medical Equipment in Coron, Palawan” Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP)

Second Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, Dr. Takeo Okada, attended the turnover ceremony last July 20, 2018 for “The Project for Construction of Barangay Health Stations and Procurement of Medical Equipment in Municipality of Coron, Palawan”. The project was funded through FY 2013 Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), one of Japan’s Official Development Assistance. The event was also attended by the Municipal Mayor of Coron, Mayor AJERICO BARRACOSO, other local officials, health stations staff and community of Coron, Palawan.

The two island barangay beneficiaries, Lajala and Banuang Daan, experienced difficulty in accessing health services resulting in high incidence of minor to severe health problems or even death. Home delivery, which is considered unsafe for both pregnant women and newborn babies, was a common practice in these communities due to absence of a proper birthing facility.

To address the situation, the Embassy of Japan funded the construction of health stations and provision of medical equipment for Barangay Lajala and Banuang Daan with a  total amount of Ninety-Nine Thousand One Hundred Sixty-Two US Dollars (US$ 99,162) or approximately 4.3 million pesos through GGP.  The project intends to provide better and safe access to health services especially in improving maternal care and children’s health in the communities. The project shall benefit an estimate of 2,900 residents of the two island barangays.

Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) is one of the Japanese ODA schemes, which support small-scale projects directly benefiting the grassroots level as well as contributing to the socio-economic development of developing countries. In the Philippines, GGP was launched in 1989 and to date, 534 grassroots projects have been implemented by non-government organizations (NGOs), local government units (LGUs), and other non-profit organizations.