THE CLIMATE CHANGE OFFICE is now ready to accept climate adaptation project proposals for funding under the People’s Survival Fund. This was announced in the PSF Board Press Conference held in St Giles Hotel Makati.
The PSF was created by virtue of Republic Act 10174 to enable the government to address the problem of climate change. It has mandated the allocation of a Php1B fund to be accessed by local government units and community organizations to finance their climate change adaptation projects.
Under the law, the Climate Change office (CCO) of the Climate Change Commission will serve as secretariat of the Board and will receive and evaluate the proposals to be approved by the Board. Sec. Cesar Purisima of the Department of Finance serves as Chairman of the Board.
Citing data from the World Bank, Purisima said the Philippines and the other members of the Climate Vulnerable Forum face economic losses from climate change amounting to 2.5% of our GDP per year, at US$45 billion in 2010 and expected to increase almost 10-fold to $418 billion in 2030.
"Here at home, the PSF is an example of the government's commitment to protect those most vulnerable from the effects of climate change. I look forward to the PSF financing innovative and adaptive projects in response to climate change," Purisima said.
According to Joyceline Goco, Deputy Executive Director of the CCO, the implementation of the PSF augurs well for the government as it undertakes efforts to tackle the adverse effects of climate change.
“With the fund support coming from the PSF, local government units will now have the means to realize the plans they have set up to insulate their constituents against climate change-induced disasters and even exploit the benefits that climate change may bring,” Goco said.
Specifically, the fund is intended for adaptation activities that include water resources management, land management, agriculture and fisheries, health, among others, and serve as guarantee for risk insurance needs for farmers, agricultural workers and other stakeholders.
It will also be used for establishing regional centers and information networks and strengthening of existing ones to support climate change adaptation initiatives and projects, for setting up of forecasting and early warning systems against climate-related hazards, support to institutional development such as preventive measures, planning, preparedness and management of impacts relating to climate change, including contingency planning for droughts and floods.
The other members of the Board are the vice chairperson of the Climate Change Commission, secretary of the Department of Budget and Management, director general of the National Economic and Development Authority, secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women, representative from the academe and scientific community, business sector, and non-government organizations. # Adapted – www.denr.gov.ph
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