5 climate change adaptation projects worth P540.3M given the nod

The People's Survival Fund Board approved at least five climate change adaptation projects, endorsed by the Climate Change Commission amounting to P540.3 million, geared toward increasing the adaptive capacity of local government units to climate change adaptation.

Robert E.A. Borje, the CCC Vice-chairperson and executive director, welcomed the latest development in the country's fight against climate change.

"The PSF Board's approval of these five projects signals a pivotal message on the value of advancing adaptation measures at the local and community level, especially at a time when risks and challenges posed by climate change demand immediate and urgent actions," he underscored.

Borje cited Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, the PSF board chairperson, for his leadership and commitment to advancing the objectives of the survival funds.

"I also thanked the PSF Board members for their sustained effort and collaboration throughout the review and evaluation, and field validation exercises, which led to CCC endorsement and PSF Board's project approvals," he said.

The submissions of LGUs from the PSF Board-issued Call for Proposals from February to April 2023 are included in the five projects.

Borje said adaptation interventions to be implemented by LGUs include the establishment of climate field schools for farmers, flood protection, river ecosystem management, installation of solar-powered pumps, and mangrove rehabilitation.

"With the benefits to be provided by these projects, the PSF will be able to demonstrate effective and sustainable practices on local climate actions, championing the resilience of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change," he added.

The PSF Board approved a Php 2-million Project Development Grant or PDG for the Municipality of Besao, Mountain Province to undertake project preparatory activities such as hydrological and geotechnical studies to establish the rationale of the LGU's adaptation intervention.

The projects' approval enabled 17 LGUs to receive support from the PSF and its PDG.

Among the previously approved projects are from Lanuza, Surigao del Sur; Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte; Gerona, Tarlac; Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte; Sarangani Province; and San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu.

Borje noted that the CCC, in coordination with the Department of Finance, is working on further streamlining the accession of PSF through enhancement of the processes entailed by project proposals from submission until the approval stage.

The PSF was institutionalized in 2012, through the Republic Act 10174, which amends the Climate Change Act of 2009—to include the provision of long-term finance streams to enable the government to effectively address the problem of climate change.

It aims to enhance the resilience of communities and ecosystems to climate change.

The CCC is likewise mandated to conduct the Climate Rationale Review and Evaluation or CRRE of project proposals submitted for PSF, convening the National Panel of Technical Experts to look into the climate rationale of projects.

The CRRE process takes into consideration the historical and present data, ensuring that projects are fit-for-purpose and responsive to specific climate risks and vulnerabilities of an LGU.