Philippines Taps US Lobby Group to Boost MCC Bid

The Philippines tapped Washington-based lobby group Covington & Burling  to assist the country’s bid for a USD439 million compact agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corp, ABS-CBN reports. Under a six-month lobbying contract, Covington & Burling will also work to convince the U.S. Congress to lift its human rights benchmarks used to determine eligibility for U.S. military aid, and increase economic development assistance to the Philippines.