GRANT. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (4th from left) hands to Mountain Province Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan Jr. (rightmost) the funding for the Climate Field School for Farmers under the People’s Survival Fund at Malacañang Palace in Manila on Wednesday (Nov. 29, 2023). Also in photo are (from left) Climate Change Commission Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert Borje, Local Government and Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., and Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno. (Photo courtesy of PIA-Mountain Province)
MANILA – The People's Survival Fund (PSF), recently turned over by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to local government units (LGUs), will bolster the execution of climate change adaptation programs as the country works on being disaster-resilient.
The PSF will help LGU adaptation activities in relation to land and water resources management, agriculture and fisheries, health, infrastructure development, and natural ecosystems, according to Senate President Pro-Tempore Loren Legarda.
“This will also support the improvement of the monitoring, controlling, and prevention of diseases triggered by climate change, the establishment of forecasting and early warning systems, and strengthening institutional development for local governments, preventive measures, planning, preparedness, and management of impacts relating to climate change,” Legarda said in a statement.
Established under Republic Act 10174 in 2012, the PSF had an initial capitalization of PHP1 billion to finance adaptation programs and projects of LGUs and accredited local and community organizations.
The approval of the six new climate adaptation projects worth over PHP541 million brings the total number of PSF-funded projects to 11 climate adaptation initiatives and six projects for Project Development Grants, amounting to a combined PHP889.6 million.
Included in the projects are Mountain Province, which received a grant worth PHP271.15 million for the construction of a Climate Field School for Farmers; Maramag town in Bukidnon, PHP126.40 million for the installation of drainage and early warning systems as well as the development of the agroforestry industry; Borongan City, Eastern Samar, PHP117.96 million for the installation of embankment infrastructure and reforestation for enhanced flood control of the Lo-om River; Cabagan, Isabela, PHP21.28 million for an irrigation project; Catanauan, Quezon, PHP2.64 million for a mangrove rehabilitation project; Besao, also in Mountain Province, PHP2 million for the water harvesting structures project.
“There is no substitute for national and local government programs and budgets that are climate change-adaptive. The PSF allows us to pole-vault toward ensuring disaster and climate change resilient communities," Legarda said.
The passage into law of RA 10174, which she authored and sponsored, was "a triumph for the Filipino people and an affirmation of the nation’s commitment to building communities resilience to disasters." (PNA)
