devinitorg/iati-policy-markers huggingface dataset:
Avalon Professional Web Trade Pte. Ltd. APW is a new trading company, based in Singapore, that sources purchase orders (POs) for home furnishings from US buyers, and subcontracts production on the POs to SME manufacturers, that form part of the APW network, in the Philippines. The APW network is comprised of SME furniture manufacturers that are prequalified by APW, based on their product quality, production reliability, environmental standards, size, export experience, proprietor quality and various other criteria. The SMEs, that are part of the APW network, benefit from APW''s marketing activities abroad as well as financing for pre-export activities such as raw material procurement and labor cost.      APW''s expansion plan includes extending the APW network to China, Indonesia and Thailand. This expansion strategy will enable APW to offer a product line to meet the full market demand ranging from high end, high craftsmanship, high margin products, to lower end, lower margin products, mass produced. Furthermore, the geographic expansion will allow APW to take advantage of raw materials indigenous to each region. This expansive product line supports APW''s strategy to offer international buyers quality products sourced from Asia for competitive prices.    IFC''s investment in APW is a pioneering replicable model to promote SME development through broad investment.  APW will: (i) help SMEs obtain much needed working capital financing, presently unavailable due to the SMEs size and lack of collateral;  (ii) increase SME''s market reach; (iii) create a conduit through which SMEs can benefit from volume raw material discounts;  (iv) encourage international buyers to source production from the emerging markets in South East Asia. APW''s local production monitoring provides international buyers additional comfort to outsource such production to the Philippines. APW''s success will translate into growth in furniture exports from Cebu and as APW expands, throughout the region.  Being part of the APW manufacturing network will also promote greater transparency and an adequate level of environmental standards amongst the SMEs.     The World Bank''s main focus in the Philippines is poverty reduction facilitated through enhanced economic growth. This project fits well with the World Bank strategy as SMEs are a major source of employment and wage income for a local labor force suffering from high unemployment. IFC''s investment in APW is also consistent with IFC''s strategy to finance SMEs through broad investment rather than directly in the SMEs.  Furthermore, the SME sector is one of the most dynamic sectors essential for the necessary economic growth in the Philippines. Therefore, APW contributes to improve the growth potential of SMEs by providing access to efficient financing and facilitating access to global markets.
Far East Bank and Trust Company Second Credit Line Summary Of Project Information (SPI)       Project Name    Philippines-Far East Bank and Trust Company        Co-Financing Facility II        Region    Asia      Sector   Project No008915   Projected Board DateMarch 19, 1998   Company NameFar East Bank and Trust Company (FEBTC)   Technical Partner and/or Major Shareholders    	The principal project sponsor is FEBTC, a major bank holding company in Manila, Philippines.    Project Cost Including proposed IFC investment    	The total project cost is about US$60 million involving an IFC A Loan of US$45 million and a B Loan of US$15 million.    Location of project and Description of site    	Manila, Philippines    Description of Company and Purpose of Project    	With total assets equivalent to $3.8 billion as of December 31, 1997, FEBTC is the sixth largest domestic commercial bank in the Philippines.  The proposed credit line will provide US Dollar term financing to assist FEBTC in complementing the maturities of its US Dollar assets and liabilities.  Extending this second credit line will signal to the market IFCs support of FEBTC and the Philippine banking sector, which would be crucial to restoring investor confidence during present times of regional turmoil.    Environmental Category and Issues    	This is a category FI project according to IFCs environmental review procedures.  FEBTC has committed to establishing an environmental management system that will ensure that investments are consistent with applicable host country environmental laws and regulations as well as applicable World Bank environmental, health and safety guidelines and policies; designating appropriate individuals who will have responsibility for environment; attending IFCs environmental management workshops; ensuring that category A projects are cleared by IFCs Environment Division; and submitting an annual environmental performance report.  Senior Officers and account managers of FEBTC have participated in IFCs introductory environmental management workshop.  FEBTC must confirm that the individuals trained continue to have responsibility for environmental issues, and provide written documentation of their environmental policy and procedures.         Date SPI sent to PIC     February 9, 1998      For Additional Information contact:  Corporate Relations Unit -   telephone: (202) 473-7711   facsimile: (202) 974-4384
AYALA LAND SLF IFC is proposing to provide Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI or the Company) with up to US$250 million equivalent in Philippine Pesos (PHP) in the form of an up to 8-years sustainability-linked loan (SLL). The IFC proceeds will be earmarked to refurbish a subset of ALIs commercial property portfolio. The proposed SLL will help ALI to (i) establish the largest EDGE Zero Carbon portfolio globally; and (ii) reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The most significant, expected Project-level outcomes are (i) environmental effects through improved resource efficiency of green buildings and (ii) increased access to modern quality commercial space through substantial renovations of the shopping malls. Beyond the Project, IFC anticipates the investment will promote sustainability by facilitating the use of green financial products and adoption of green building standards.
PR Bank Equity The Project involves an investment in Philippine Resources Savings Banking Corporation (PR Savings Bank or the Bank), an independent thrift bank in the Philippines, of (i) up to PHP650 million (~US$16 million equivalent) in redeemable preferred shares and (ii) an option to subscribe to up to PHP250 million (~US$6 million equivalent) in common shares.  The Bank provides banking and other financial products and services mostly to the unbanked and underbanked population.  IFCs proposed investment will increase the Banks regulatory capital in anticipation of the full implementation of Basel 1.5 by 2014, and support the expansion of the Banks SME and microfinance lending program to the rural areas of the Philippines.  This project fits in with IFCs strategy to support the Philippine financial markets through equity type investments in local financial institutions that play a key role in increasing financial inclusion by providing access to finance to underserved sectors such as micro-entrepreneurs and small farmers. The most significant impacts of this investment are expected to be: (1) strengthening the micro and small business sector (particularly in rural areas) by increasing access to finance for SMEs, micro-entrepreneurs and agricultural borrowers; and (2) contributing to the strengthening of corporate governance standards and environmental and social management in the Philippine thrift and rural banking sector
RCBC Equity This project comprises an investment in Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC or the Bank) a listed bank in the Philippines, into which IFC is proposing an equity investment of up to US$49 million in the form of common shares.  The Bank provides a wide range of banking and other financial products and services, including commercial and retail banking, credit cards, asset management and treasury and investment banking products and services. 

IFCs proposed investment will support the Banks growth (both organic and via acquisitions) in the areas of microfinance, SME and retail banking.

This project fits in with IFCs strategy to support the Philippine financial markets through equity type investments in local financial institutions that play a key role in providing access to finance to underserved sectors such as SMEs and microfinance. The proposed Project is expected to have a high development impact as it will increase access to finance to MSMEs and support the consolidation of the Philippine banking sector.  The Philippine banking system is extremely fragmented with over 818 operating banks. The system is inefficient with too many small players. Of the 818 banks, there are 38 commercial and universal banks that together own almost 95% of the banking industry's assets.  IFC's strategy is to support consolidation in the industry to enable larger banks to go down market which should bring down credit cost through improved efficiencies.
PlantersBank Summary Of Project Information (SPI)       Project Name    Philippines - PlantersBank      RegionEast Asia and Pacific   Sector   Project No009714   Projected Board DateJanuary 24, 2000   Company NamePlanters Development Bank   Technical Partner and/or Major Shareholders    	Plantersbank is owned 66.0% by the Tambunting family, 9.0% by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and 19% by Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO).  The remaining 5.5% of the shares are held by two local institutions, namely Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Land Bank of the Philippines and other private individuals.      Project Cost Including proposed IFC investment    	US$ 25 million equivalent.    The IFC investment would consist of:     (i) a variable rate loan of US$ 15 million for 7 years.    (ii) a swap equivalent exposure of up to US$2.25 million to swap the variable $ loan into a fixed peso loan (intermediated by IFC)    (iii) a convertible preferred share subscription of Pesos 400 million (US$ 10 million equivalent).       Location of project and Description of site    	PlantersBank is based in Manila, but has nationwide reach with half of its financing taking place outside Metro Manila.     Description of Company and Purpose of Project    	The project entails a US$15 million senior loan and US$10 million-equivalent convertible investment to recapitalize and strengthen PlantersBank.  As the Philippines emerges from the recent economic crisis, there is significant unsatisfied demand for term financing by SMEs which PlantersBank intends to meet.  Founded in 1961, PlantersBank is the leading private Philippine development bank focused on lending to Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).  PlantersBank is the largest independent thrift bank in the Philippines, that has built a strong niche in providing term funding to SMEs.     Environmental Category and Issues    	This is a Financial Intermediary (FI) Type 1/Type 2 project according to IFC''s environmental review procedure.  PlantersBank would be required to undertake an environmental review of its projects to ensure compliance with host country requirements, IFC environmental and social safeguard policies, and, if applicable, World Bank Group environmental, health and safety guidelines.  IFC will assess PlantersBank''s capability to carry out environmental reviews.  PlantersBank must obtain IFC clearance prior to making any investment with IFC funds in any Category A project.     The  is  from the InfoShop.       Date SPI sent to InfoShop     December 23, 1999      This Summary of Project Information is prepared and distributed to the public in advance of consideration of the proposed transaction by the Corporations Board of Directors.  It is provided for the purpose of enhancing the transparency of IFCs activities and should not be construed as presuming the outcome of IFC Board consideration.    For Additional Information contact:  Corporate Relations Unit -   telephone: (202) 473-7711   facsimile: (202) 974-4384  Environmental documents for this project are available at http://www.ifc.org and from the World Bank InfoShop (http://www.worldbank.org/html/pic/aboutinfo.html).
Fullerton Health 0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0.0000       Fullerton Health Philippines Holdings Corporation (FHPC or the Company) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fullerton Healthcare Corporation Limited (Fullerton Health). The Company will acquire a 60% controlling stake in the Intellicare group of companies (Intellicare), a leading health maintenance organization (HMO) company in the Philippines, with a membership base of over one million lives. FHPC plans to establish a vertically integrated managed healthcare platform in the Philippines that will comprise Intellicare, as well as the roll out and acquisition of related healthcare providers (the Project). Broader Access to Quality Health Care: The Project will support the expansion of one of the Philippines' leading HMO, increasing the number of lives reached.

Skill Development of Medical Professionals: Intellicare provides training for health care professionals. By expanding its network, Intellicare will increase training opportunities for health professionals in Philippines, improving the level of skills in the sector.

Job Creation: Intellicare's expansion will create new jobs, largely skilled middle income jobs in a broad range of areas. These jobs are well sought after within the healthcare sector in the Philippines.
Manila North Tollways Project MNTC was created by Benpres, PNCC, and Egis to carry out the following works under the concession agreement (Supplemental Toll Operation Agreement): (a) Phase I: expansion and rehabilitation of the NLE, and construction of an 8 km Tipo-Subic expressway in the Subic Bay area;  (b) Phase II: construction of a 16 km extension of the Metro Manila C-5 expressway; and (c) Phase III: construction of a 64 km expressway connecting the northern section of NLE with the Subic Bay area.  At this stage, only Phase I (the project) is to be financed and implemented.  NLE is in poor condition due to lack of proper maintenance and the section near Manila is highly congested.  By expanding road capacity and improving road condition, the project would significantly lower road transport costs to the less developed, north and west region of NLE and stimulate regional growth, especially the Clark and Subic Special Economic Zones in the north and west of NLE which are focused on creating jobs based on the under-employed low-cost labor force.    Consistent with the World Bank Group''s Country Assistance Strategy for the Philippines, IFC would cooperate with ADB and MIGA, as well as two export credit agencies, EFIC of Australia and COFACE of France, in this project and play a key role in creating an appropriate financial structure and advising the sponsors on technical issues based on IFC''s extensive experience in toll road projects.  Due to the inherent risks in toll road financing, commercial banks are very selective in lending to toll road projects.  There is also lack of local currency financing in the Philippines with interests and maturities that are appropriate for toll road projects.  Given the project''s large investment requirement, the sizable participation and presence of IFC, ADB, EFIC, COFACE and MIGA is critical in presenting comfort to the participating commercial banks.
SunPower Project SunPower Corporation (SunPower or the Company) is a global player in the solar industry.  The company was founded in 1985 by Dr. Richard Swanson and his students while he was professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University.  In 2008, SunPower generated revenue of $1.43 billion.    SunPower is in the process of completing its second solar cell fabrication facility in the Philippines (the Project).  The project will result in the completion of twelve solar cell manufacturing lines with an aggregate nameplate capacity of 466 MW. The project will have the following positive developmental impacts:  -  Reduction of CO2 Emissions:  This investment will support the production of solar cells, which will provide renewable energy.  Assuming a module life of 25 years, the project will directly avoid an estimated 90-100 million tons of CO2 emissions, assuming the electrical energy they produce is instead produced through conventional fossil fuel generated electricity.  -  Development of the solar industry:  This project will increase the availability of high-performance and cost-effective solar cells, which is expected to accelerate the solar PV industrys goal to reach grid parity, such that solar energy is an economically viable energy source without government subsidy.    -  Job creation and other economic benefits:  This facility will employ a total of approximately 2,900 skilled jobs in the Philippines and contribute to local economic growth.
CARD Banks' Loan The Project is to provide a senior loan of up to PHP700 million (US$16 million equivalent) to CARD Bank, Inc. (CARD Bank) and CARD SME Bank, Inc. (CARD SME), of which (i) up to PHP540 million (US$12 million) to CARD Bank and (ii) up to PHP160 million (US$4 million) senior loan to CARD SME, with maturity of up to 7 years (including 1 year grace period). Both CARD Bank and CARD SME are important lenders to the underbanked rural MSME sector in the Philippines.  Through the investment IFC will support CARD Bank and CARD SME to expand their services in order to provide micro finance solutions to small businesses and individuals in rural areas.  CARD Bank, Inc. was set up in September 1997 and now is the largest microfinance institution in the Philippines with a customer base of 1.4 million of which around 90% are women. CARD Bank offers a range of products for the micro-entrepreneurs such as savings and loan products and micro-insurance through a distribution network of 61 branches/area/regional offices and 380 office units/service units throughout the country as of March 2015.   CARD SME Bank, Inc. formerly known as the Rural Bank of Sto. Tomas (Batangas), Inc. (RBSTI), started operations in 1962. CARD SMEs customers are comprised primarily of customers who have graduated from the microfinance bank, CARD Bank.  CARD SME helps facilitate the transition of these micro-entrepreneurs to small businesses and addresses a gap not being filled by the commercial banks, as these microfinance clients build capacity and eventually graduate to SMEs.  CARD SME also services the micro-entrepreneurs in the area where CARD SMEs branches are located. As of March 2015, CARD SME had 11 branches/area/regional offices and 120 office units/service units servicing 228 thousand clients. -	Increasing access to finance products for small entrepreneurs, SMEs and individuals, especially women in rural areas. -	Improving the rural banking sector by bringing in best practices in MSME lending, risk management and corporate governance.
BPI SEF II Project The project entails a risk sharing facility (RSF or the Facility) to support a portfolio of up to US$70.6 million of Energy Efficiency (EE) and Renewable (RE) loans of generated by the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI or the Bank).   IFC will guarantee 50% of the portfolio for a maximum risk amount of up to US$35.3 million.  

The Bank is the third largest universal bank in the Philippines in terms of total assets and the countrys largest bank in terms of market capitalization. The Bank is a publicly listed domestic universal bank offering a wide range of financial services that include corporate, consumer, overseas and investment banking as well as asset management and insurance.

The proposed project, which is a repeat project and builds on the success of IFCs and BPIs partnership in the first Sustainable Energy Finance (SEF) RSF, fits into IFCs strategic objectives because it increases access to finance to EE and RE projects in the Philippines.  The project is part of the Philippine Sustainable Energy Program (PSEFP) which aims to establish partnerships with local banks using financial products and technical advisory to increase funding to RE and EE projects. The project is expected to contribute to the development and diversification of the financial sector by assisting in the development of new markets and product lines in sustainable finance with significant growth potential.  This in turn will continue to have positive demonstration effect in the commercial mainstreaming of RE/EE finance among other commercial banks.  Lastly, the project will contribute to pollution reduction by increasing usage of more energy efficient and renewable energy technologies.
BDO Tier 2 Project Banco de Oro- EPCI, Inc. (BDO) is the second largest universal and commercial bank in the Philippines, with total assets of $12.6 billion and a capital base of $1.1 billion as of June 30, 2007.  BDO, an IFC investee company since 2002, offers a wide range of products and services to its corporate, commercial and retail clients.  These include traditional loan and deposit products, as well as treasury, trust banking, investment banking, cash management, retail cash cards, insurance, trade finance and credit card services.  The bank has also strengthened its consumer lending business by offering an expanded range of consumer finance products, including personal loans, residential mortgages, auto loans and credit card services.  BDO is listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange.  In January 2006, Primebridge Holdings, Inc., a member of the SM Group, issued Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) with BDO common shares as underlying securities.  These GDRs are listed on the London Stock Exchange.    The proposed project is IFCs participation in up to $150 million of BDOs planned public issuance of Philippine Peso denominated unsecured subordinated notes with an expected issue size of PHP10 billion (approximately $217 million), that would qualify as Lower Tier 2 capital under the regulations of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank). The project has many development impacts:  - Support consolidation in the Philippine banking sector by supporting a strong local financial institution that plays a consolidator role.  Consolidation of the banking industry in itself has the following development impact, namely:   - fewer players imply better capitalized banks that are better able to weather external economic shocks such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis,  - cost efficiencies that benefit both the banks and its customers, and  - bigger banks are in the best position to introduce innovative financial products and services.    - Broadening access to finance.  As banks grow, the need to diversify earning streams is perceived.  With intense competition in the traditional growth areas such as corporate banking, banks are compelled to seriously consider serving underserved sectors.  BDO is best positioned to show leadership in terms of product development and service delivery to underserved consumer and SME client groups.  - Capital market development.  The proposed project supports the development of the local capital markets through the issuance of tradable long-term local currency denominated corporate bonds.  The issuance of long-term corporate bonds would provide institutional and retail investors an alternative long-term investment vehicle to the more traditional government securities.  The trading of these bonds will also contribute to the development of the secondary market.