Four Filipinos Win Top Honors in World Bank’s Global Competition for Innovative Projects

Source: World Bank, Washington DC, June 2, 2005

Four projects proposed by Filipinos, ranging from using ducks to stimulate rice production, to employing pots to catch blue crabs (alimasag), to building awareness on the benefits of the much-dreaded janitor fish, to producing a radio soap opera to increase environmental understanding, were among the 31 recently-acclaimed winners of the World Bank’s Global Development Marketplace.

The 31 winners won a total of US$4 million in prize funding to implement their projects.

The recently held Development Marketplace, held this year in Washington DC, is a worldwide competition that identifies and directly supports innovative bottoms-up development ideas that deliver results and that can then be expanded or replicated. It is open to anyone—civil society groups, social entrepreneurs, youth organizations, private foundations, academia, private sector corporations—with a brilliant but unusual idea that may not get funded through traditional venues.

The theme for this year, "Innovations for Livelihoods in a Sustainable Environment," reflected the World Bank’s commitment to support local ideas that improve the lives of poor people while minimizing environmental degradation.

"The prize money will go to our fishermen. I will make as many as 160,000 crab pots to give all to our fishermen so they can comply with the law," said Mayor Alfonso Gamboa of the municipality of Magalona in Negros Occidental whose project "Sustainable Use of the Blue Crab" was among the winners.

More than 2,600 applicants from 136 countries submitted proposals that responded to this year’s theme. Only 78 finalists, however, qualified for the final round and nine of these finalists came from the Philippines.

The Philippines was the country with the most finalists (the next was Kenya which had five).

All finalists came for the two-day competition to showcase their innovative ideas to bring renewable energy to small communities, reduce air and water pollution, promote sustainable agriculture, and raise environmental awareness.

"This is another example of the world-class talent the Philippines has to offer and which we have recognized in our assistance strategy for the Philippines," said Joachim von Amsberg, World Bank Country Director for the Philippines, referring to the World Bank Group's new country assistance strategy.

"I think there are many more examples of good and sound practices by national and local government units as well as civil society groups and the private sector, and we seek to help encourage and empower such talents so that others can be inspired to follow," he continued.

There were 34 judges from different organizations, including National Geographic, USAID, Conservation International, World Conservation Union, the United Nations Environment Program, and the World Bank, as well as previous winners.

The Development Marketplace started in 1998 as an internal Bank competition to fund innovative ideas that were not picked up through the institution’s usual funding system.

Over the last seven years it has evolved into a global event that has awarded nearly US$40 million for 1,000 projects in more than 70 countries through global competitions and country-level and regional development marketplaces.

The Philippines' version of the country-wide competition, called Panibagong Paraan, will be launched late this year, in partnership with international and local development funding partners.

The Filipino Winners

Benefiting from the Dreaded Janitor Fish by the Laguna Lake Development Authority and the Siniloan River Rehabilitation and Management Foundation, Inc. Grant of US$143,747

The Duck Ranger: Rice-Duck Systems to the Rescue by the University of the Philippines Los Baños and the Provincial Government of Laguna Grant of US$98,882

Environment Radio Soap Opera for Rural Vietnam by the International Rice Research Institute and Voice of Ho Chi Minh Grant of US$131,800

For summaries of the projects and the finalists, please visit www.developmentmarketplace.org

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