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Lesson
A program's design and monitoring framework (DMF) needs to be agile and flexible. A key aspect of a crisis is that it rapidly evolves and at the outset more is often unknown than known. The DMF therefore needs to be realistic and subject to change when new evidence emerges, or the context evolves. Hence, during the implementation and monitoring of the program, the DMF should be revisited and updated as needed.

Project Number: 54138-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Government’s effective and responsive implementation of the program and use of funds highlighted the importance of being able to adjust allocations as demanded by the crisis. The government successfully utilized its ADB countercyclical loan to support its relief and stimulus program under its two pandemic emergency decrees and funds (FY2020 and FY2021). In particular; the Cabinet responded rapidly to the successive waves of COVID-19; allocating and reallocating budgets to work plans and projects where they were most needed at any one time.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
The program has helped strengthen ADB’s role as a trusted partner and created a positive experience for the government to strengthen its relations with development partners. The loan provided international funds that have helped address the government’s objective to reduce borrowing in the domestic market and have helped ensure liquidity in Thailand’s private sector. The program’s accompanying technical assistance provided the government with value-added policy dialogue and technical assistance to help address the government’s knowledge needs as they evolved through the crisis.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
The lack of available data across government departments can be challenging especially during times of crisis. The government encountered difficulties in collecting sex-disaggregated data in some instances; making it difficult to understand how women and girls were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Disaggregation by employment and disability status was challenging as well. The sex-segregated data on testing capacity and incentive for health workers included in the completion report were proxies based on total beneficiaries and the male and female ratio among the healthcare work force.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
It is important to maintain some degree of flexibility to effectively respond to crisis situations. Perhaps the most important quality of Thailand’s CARES program was its ability to rapidly mobilize demand-driven support in a crisis; highlighting the importance in future crisis responses of maintaining some degree of flexibility in both program design and implementation. ADB was able to process and approve the program within 3 months of the government’s initial request for support. Events in Thailand necessitated loan signing to take place about 4 months after ADB approval.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Indicators and targets relying on surveys that may not be available at the time of measurement could benefit from the identification of alternative measures during program design. One of the outcome Indicators in the CARES design and monitoring framework is measured by the WHO only every 5 years and information about its most recent assessment is due for release in mid to late 2022; after the end of the CARES program. Uncertainties and disruptions created by emergencies need to be considered when designing Indicators to ensure that targets are achievable and realistic.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Lessons from impact assessments undertaken by the government need to be explored for possible replication or application in future crisis response operations. In addition to monitoring of program expenditures; the government conducted its own assessment of program results; such as the social impact of cash transfer programs on affected people.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
The COVID-19 pandemic experience provided the government an opportunity to develop its approach to monitoring and reporting. During the loan period; ADB supported the executing agency in the quarterly monitoring of expenditures under the government’s emergency loans. This was appreciated by the government and because it provided the only English-language summary of government expenditure under the two emergency decrees, the quarterly monitoring was continued at government’s request even after loan closure.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Institutional and legal frameworks help ensure program and funding sustainability, continuity across political regimes, adequacy and predictability of benefits, and accountability during budget processes. Importantly, these frameworks should provide sufficient flexibility to allow programs to adapt, particularly during times of crises such as COVID-19, and to improve based on socioeconomic trends. For instance,a key feature of the 4Ps law provides for a mechanism to periodically review and adjust benefit levels.

Project Number: 43407-013
Project Name: Social Protection Support Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Monitoring and evaluation is crucial to continually improving program design. ADB has provided valuable support to impact evaluations of the Philippines' CCT program since 2010. These have helped identify progress as well as challenges requiring attention. For example, the lack of impact on children’s immunization rates requires revisiting the health conditionalities for all CCT beneficiary children. Similarly, reported school attendance rates remain high without necessarily being affected by the program.

Project Number: 43407-013
Project Name: Social Protection Support Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Enhancement of conditional cash transfer programs (CCTs) needs continuing innovation. ADB-supported innovations have also helped strengthen the Philippines’ CCT. The digitally supported Pantawid Pamilya Information System, compliance verification, and grievance redress mechanism brought the program well within reach of the beneficiaries. Additionally, ADB’s continued support to the proxy means test models used for identifying beneficiaries and impact evaluation has ensured a data-driven approach to measuring progress and informing program implementation.

Project Number: 43407-013
Project Name: Social Protection Support Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Enforcement of CCT program conditionalities should be continuously reviewed and improved. Enforcement of health conditionalities under the Philippines' CCT program is hampered by low registration of new births and compounded by manual data collection procedures for compliance verification. The executing agency may need to review program conditions so that the checklist of conditions includes reporting all births and submitting data for all children in the household.

Project Number: 43407-013
Project Name: Social Protection Support Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Social protection can be integrated with broader digital and financial inclusion. Strengthening social protection payment delivery systems can promote broader financial inclusion goals, allowing poor and vulnerable populations to save, borrow, and better plan consumption and investment decisions. In this way, social protection can be an effective tool not just to reduce poverty and build resilience, but also to promote economic empowerment and social inclusion. This requires expanding IT solutions, digital payment options, and financial literacy training for program beneficiaries.

Project Number: 43407-013
Project Name: Social Protection Support Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Incomplete registration and compliance monitoring and unjustified ceilings on the number of eligible beneficiaries can limit the outreach and transformative potential of conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs. Unde the Philippines' CCT, all target beneficiaries and children within 4Ps households should be registered and monitored.

Project Number: 43407-013
Project Name: Social Protection Support Project
Report Date:
Lesson
To support an effective and sustainable exit strategy for beneficiaries, CCTs must strengthen the productive capacity of poor households. With the Philippines CCT law’s 7-year ceiling on duration of family participation,it will be important to communicate clearly with beneficiaries on their co-responsibilities and establish referral pathways.

Project Number: 43407-013
Project Name: Social Protection Support Project
Report Date: