The Government of Saint Lucia was, this week, presented with a cheque from the Taiwanese government for the new phase of the 2016 Constituency Development Program (CDP).

Prime Minister Hon. Allen Chastanet said the advance will be used to pay for projects that were completed in several constituencies.

“This money is actually going to be used to pay for projects that were implemented over the last four months, so I am very grateful to you for expediting this payment because it was not due for some time," Mr. Chastanet said. "That is certainly going to go a long way in bringing relief to the people who did work and are yet to be paid for that work. The Ministry of Economic Development is assessing all of the work programs to ensure that all of the people who did work are paid."

The Prime Minister also lauded the program’s accomplishments.

“The Constituency Development Program has been a big input into the lives of Saint Lucians. It has allowed constituencies to develop projects and money to be disbursed into the constituencies, but more importantly [it has allowed constituencies] to develop a sense of pride, as people from those constituencies have been working at improving their own communities, whether it be through sidewalks, lighting on the football fields, or improvements in healthcare. All of those have gone an extremely long way."

For the new phase of the 2016 CDP, Saint Lucia will receive a total of US$5 million dollars.

The first disbursement of EC$10, 752, 800 or US$4 million was handed over to government on Sep. 19. The Taiwanese government is expected to provide the second disbursement in October.