Visiting United States Agency for International Development (USAID) assistant administrator of the Bureau for Asia Michael Schiffer has announced the agency’s broadening support to the Philippines, especially in upskilling its workforce for advance manufacturing and helping the government boost its cybersecurity.

During his visit here, Schiffer said he participated in a roundtable meeting to look into the “green habitat” in the West Philippine Sea, met with the pharmaceutical sector to find opportunities in the local vaccine production and also with industry executives, academia and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development Alliance (AMDev) program.

Schiffer also witnessed the signing of memorandum of understanding (MOU) of the DTI, the Makati Business Club (MBC) and pharmaceutical firm Unilab in Makati City on Tuesday to sustain the AMDev.

AMDev is a five-year program funded by the USAID and implemented by Unilab Foundation, Inc. that aims to train 11,000 individuals to equip them with skills for advanced manufacturing, establishing at least two Advanced Manufacturing Institutes (AMIs) across the country, and institutionalizing the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Council (AMSC) to continue the program after five years.

On the sidelines of the event, AMDev chief of party Dan Lachica said USAID has allotted USD5.2 million (around PHP291 million) for the program and the private sector will match and leverage the grant throughout the program implementation.

“The intent really of advanced manufacturing is to increase productivity (and) yields, reduce costs –in other words, global competitiveness,” Lachica told reporters.

He said the program has capped its first year this 2023 making the skills of 430 individuals from the manufacturing sector ready for the future of needs of the sector.

Lachica said AMDev’s initial focused industries are the semiconductor and electronics sector, which is the country’s largest exported goods, and the pharmaceutical industry to start the country’s capability in vaccine production.

Cybersecurity

In a separate press briefing organized by the US Embassy in Manila, Schiffer told reporters that USAID is keen to partner with the national government and the local government units (LGUs) to build closer and deeper partnership in the area of cycbersecurity.

Schiffer said USAID is implementing a USD3.3 million Better Access and Connectivity (BEACON) program in the Philippines that aims to improve access and connectivity to a secured information and communications technology (ICT) system, as well as smart logistics.

“We’re looking at how we can build closer and deeper partnership on cybersecurity to be able the Philippines to anticipate, counter and mitigate cyber threats like the recent attacks on government cyber sites,” he said.

According to USAID, for 2023 alone, it allotted USD135 million in development assistance and additional USD8 million humanitarian assistance funds for the Philippines. (PNA)