THE South Korean government has offered a $1.7-billion credit facility and another $7 million in the form of non-lending programs to the Philippines to help implement the government priority programs in the transport, information and communications technology, and energy sectors, the Finance Department said Wednesday.
Finance said in a statement the financial instruments would be made available by the South Korean government through the Export-Import Bank of Korea, which manages its Economic Development Cooperation Fund, an official development assistance facility.
The DoF said among the financial tools that the Philippines could tap from South Korea was a $100-million credit line for a Project Preparation Facility, which is available at zero interest and payable in 40 years (inclusive of a 10-year grace period).
The KEXIM credit line can also be tapped through a tied loan facility with South Korean companies entering into joint ventures with Philippine companies.
The project preparation facility can be tapped by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the National Irrigation Administration for their infrastructure projects, the DoF’s International Finance Group said in a report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III.
“A country program mission from KEXI-EDCF that was here from Aug. 29 to 31 met with Philippine officials and identified the priority sectors of ICT, transport and energy for possible loan assistance from South Korea,” said IFG in its report during a recent DoF executive committee meeting.
Aside from the NIA and DPWH, other agencies with identified projects in the pipeline for the KEXIM loan facility are the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, and the National Electrification Administration.