Philippines don’t need more debt with ABD
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank will donate $23 million to the Philippines, but will also provide a loan of $500 million to this country for the reconstruction of the areas damaged by the storm. According to ‘NGO Forum on ADB,’ Both ENDS’ partner organisation, these banks abuse this crisis. The debt will have to be repaid with interest and Philippine society will end up paying the price.
Footing the bill
"The Philippines already have a large external debt," Both ENDS colleague Pieter Jansen explains. "Part of this debt still dates from the days of Dictator Marcos, who received support from multilateral banks because of the fear of communism during the Vietnam War. From 1972 to 1983, the Philippines received $ 5.5 billion for aid. Philippine society had to start paying back these loans after the fall of the dictator and still has not finished.
Patronage
The dictator used to ‘buy’ political support with the borrowed money, for example by letting certain construction companies carry out major projects, so the banks were, in fact, supporting the dictatorship. Current President Aquino seems to really aim to tackle corruption in the country, but even today a system of patronage still exists. The $ 500 million loan for the reconstruction of houses and roads could even facilitate this system, because after a natural disaster it’s easy to give away vacant plots of land to friendly developers and evict the local population.
No new debt
According to the Philippine Ministry of Finance the new loan is not even necessary, as the Philippines can bear the costs of the current crisis itself. However, a relief of the old debts would be of great help to the Philippines in the long term. "In the past, the Netherlands was a strong supporter of debt relief for poor countries in the past,” says Jansen. "It would be good if the Netherlands would put this back on the agenda and again take the lead."
Protection
The ADB has been investing in coal power plants and highways for forty years. Projects like these only fuel climate change and certainly do not reduce poverty in this country. The poorest people are often the first victims of climate change, for example in an emergency like a super-typhoon. The ADB should therefore invest in measures to protect the poor against climate change. "Such a super-typhoon doesn’t have to result in the death of so many,” says Jansen. "The houses and buildings can be built much safer and the water absorption of the soil and rivers can be improved. By planting more trees and shrubs you create screens against the wind and make the soil water-permeable, and so on."
Behind the fence
The best protection against climate change is an equal distribution of wealth in a country, as the government of such a country can invest in social services for, and the protection of vulnerable groups. But in order to do so, the government must of course be aware of these vulnerable groups, and this often doesn’t seem to be the case. Jansen remembers what he saw two years ago. During the annual meeting of the ADB on his way from the airport to the conference center he saw a fence between the road and the slums. "It was placed there especially for the annual meeting in order to hide the poverty for the delegates of the member states.”
Read more about this subject
-
Dossier /
Towards a socially and environmentally just energy transition
To address the climate crisis we need to urgently transition away from fossil fuels towards clean, renewable energy. However, this transition is not only about changing energy sources. It requires an inclusive and fair process that tackles systemic inequalities and demanding consumption patterns, prioritizes environmental and social justice, and which does not repeat mistakes from the past.
-
Blog / 30 januari 2025
Brumadinho’s painful “seas of mud”
By Carolina de Moura
Six years ago, Brumadinho tailings dam I, from the Paraopeba Complex, owned by mining company Vale, collapsed. January 25th, 2019, forever changed the lives of thousands. The scars remain open, and the quest for justice, remembrance, and prevention of future mining crimes endures despite all adversities. This was manslaughter coupled with socio-environmental devastation of proportions difficult to measure. These are irreparable losses and damages that could have been avoided if it wasn’t for the greed, negligence, and irresponsibility of decision-makers at Vale, the German certification firm Tüv Süd, and the state of Minas Gerais.
-
Blog / 28 januari 2025
Sinking promises in Manila
Yesterday, Global Witness published a new report, "Sunk Costs" - in which I had a modest role to play - that comes up with new facts about the disastrous New Manila International Airport project in the Philippines, for which the Dutch dredging multinational Boskalis received Dutch export credit insurance (ekv) of €1.5 billion.
-
News / 22 januari 2025
-
Publication / 16 januari 2025
-
News / 16 januari 2025
DetoX: Both ENDS leaves X
Both ENDS, along with many other Dutch organisations, is leaving social media platform X. In January, we will join the campaign ‘#DetoX’ by De Goede Zaak and Stem op een Vrouw. We hope that many organisations will follow us so that the hate, misinformation and the undermining of democracy on X are given less space.
-
News / 13 januari 2025
New partnership with Netherlands Enterprise Agency for resilient food systems in Sahel
The situation in Africa's Sahel is the world's fastest-growing humanitarian crisis. Over 3 million people are fleeing violence. They are ravaged by hunger, disease and increasing drought caused by climate change. Both ENDS and its partners are successfully working on accelerating the resilience of local food systems and communities in the Sahel, based on ‘Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration’ (FMNR). The project, funded by DOB Ecology, will end in mid-2026, but has already been followed up thanks to a new collaboration with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
-
Publication / 9 januari 2025
-
Publication / 8 januari 2025
-
Publication / 7 januari 2025
-
Video / 6 januari 2025
-
Publication / 6 januari 2025
-
Publication / 6 januari 2025
-
Publication / 3 januari 2025
-
Video / 3 januari 2025
Dare to Trust: Jarai Women of Cambodia
With the Dare to Trust grant, the Taing Se Malu organization decided to purchase pigs that can be raised and increased in quantities by the women members of their organization. More importantly, through the grant, they formed a women’s group and a youth group to empower them in their pursuit of a more gender-just community.
-
Video / 3 januari 2025
Dare to Trust: the Tumandok Women from the Philippines
With resources that the ATBBB women's group received for their Dare to Trust-project, they decided to move forward with growing, processing and selling what they have at their disposal: coffee. They created a production center for their community based enterprise.
-
Video / 3 januari 2025
NTFP-EP Asia supports women's groups with Dare to Trust-grants
NTFP-EP Asia has given small grants to two grassroots women’s organisations in the Philippines and Cambodia. These grants are part of our Dare to Trust project, a pilot with unconditional funding supported by the Dutch Postcode Lottery.
-
Publication / 23 december 2024
-
Video / 23 december 2024
Dare to Trust: LILAK supports women to start sustainable agriculture
Indigenous women in Didipio, Philippines, grew close to each other when confronting the mining corporation OceanaGold. Now they continue their struggle collectively in the women's group "Bileg Daggiti Babbai". With the help of LILAK they started a sustainable farming project, which helps them make a living to support their day to day needs and afford their children's education.
The project was made possible in Both ENDS's Dare to Trust project, supported by the Dutch Postcode Lottery.
-
Publication / 23 december 2024