MANILA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The active portfolio of official development assistance (ODA) loans and grants to the Philippines reached 32.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, the country's National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Tuesday.

The amount of the active ODA portfolio in 2022 marginally increased by 0.5 percent from 32.24 billion dollars in 2021, the NEDA said, adding that the Philippines received 106 loans and 320 grants in 2022.

"These loans and grants were provided by 20 development partners and implemented by 84 government agencies," the agency said, noting that the Asian Development Bank was the biggest contributor, accounting for 33 percent of the total ODA in the country last year.

"The portfolio reflected the government's initiative to sustain a continuous rollout of programs to address the socioeconomic scarring brought by the COVID-19 pandemic while also seeking to secure assistance for enabling social and economic transformation beyond the pandemic," the NEDA said.

The government received four program loans amounting to 1.02 billion dollars for COVID-19 response and recovery in 2022, which "represents a significant decline in the number of loans dedicated to addressing and alleviating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to previous years," the agency said.

"The significant reduction in the ODA devoted to addressing damages brought by COVID-19 reflects the country's transition towards the new normal and is now focusing on achieving growth in the post-pandemic world," said NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. Enditem

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