PH receives new P20m education grant

By Nash B. Maulana

THE United States government announced new grants worth over P20 million ($370,000) for higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines working on innovative programs to improve the lives of Filipino out-of-school youth.

A statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Manila said the grant is administered through the U.S. Agency for International Development (US -

AID) Opportunity 2.0 Program mended amendment by an employers’ group to remove limits on employees’ working hours.

Under the USAID Opportunity 2.0 Program, the U.S. government provides two types of grants: the “O2 GAIN Grants,” and the O2-ASPIRE Grants. USAID Opportunity 2.0 Program is designed to address local development priorities for out-ofschool youth. On the other hand, 02-ASPIRE Grants will support partnerships between Philippine and U.S. HEIs on out-of-school youth advancement, the Embassy statement released in early June, said.

Tulfo, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers and Vice Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor, did not accept said group’s move to soften the policy on working hours and overtime by merely regulating it instead of providing clear limits and standards.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SEN. Cynthia Villar urged the public to work together and support the country’s food and beverage industry. During the opening ceremony of the 17th Manila Food and Beverage Expo 2023 held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, she also urged support for the agricultural sector to further promote local produce.

At present, she said the food and beverage industry has become highly diversified, covering a wide spectrum of manufacturing practices. This includes small-scale, traditional, family-run operations that are highly labor-intensive to large-scale, capital-intensive enterprises employing advanced mechanized industrial processes. “Numerous food industries rely on local agriculture, produce, or fishing, while others rely on imports to meet their production needs,” Villar, chairperson of the Senate agriculture and food committee, said.

The food system, she said, operates as a complex network interconnecting farmers with various industries.