proposed Project extension until December 31, 2021, revised work and financial plan, and revised Design and Monitoring Framework.
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Asian Development Bank have agreed to extend the implementation of the DENR-ADB/ Global Environment Facility (GEF) Project on Combating Environmental Organized Crime in the Philippines (CIWT Project) by 12 months.
The decision was made during its 3rd Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting held last July 16, 2020.
Dr. Mary Jean Caleda, Project Manager, cited delays in Project start, restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and political and organizational changes within DENR and partner agencies as the reasons for the proposed extension.
She reported that, as of June 2020, the Project had a total physical accomplishment of 38.4%, and added that extending the Project by 12 months or until December 31, 2021 will provide the Project more time to complete all its policy, capacity development, and demand reduction and Communication, Education, and Public Awareness (CEPA) outputs.
The PSC concurred with the recommendation. Mr. Bruce Dunn of ADB added that the Technical Assistance on Protecting and Investing in Natural Capital in Asia and the Pacific, in which the Project is under, has also already been extended and that he sees no issue on the side of ADB with regards to the proposed extension.
The PSC also endorsed the revised Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF) and Work and Financial Plan (WFP) during the said meeting.
The meeting was held online via Zoom and was chaired by DENR’s Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs Atty. Juan Miguel T. Cuna.
The PSC members include the Regional Executive Directors (REDs) of NCR, Region 7, and Region 13, the Directors of Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) and Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Service (DENR-BMB), and ADB.
Technical staff from DENR-Central, BMB, Field Offices, as well as ADB-HQ and Projects consultants also attended the meeting.
The CIWT Project is a three-year GEF-6-funded project executed by the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau with the ADB as the GEF Implementing Agency. It aims to combat environmental organized crime in the Philippines through legal and institutional reforms, capacity building in the full law enforcement chain, and reduction of demand for illegal wildlife and wildlife parts.