The People’s Survival Fund (PSF) Board has given the “go signal” to finance a fresh batch of innovative climate adaptation projects of Local Government Units (LGUs) worth PHP539.4 million, which are aimed at boosting the capacity of communities to address the impact of climate change.

Created by Republic Act (RA) 10174, the PSF is an annual fund intended for LGUs and accredited local/community organizations to implement climate change adaptation projects on water resources management, land management, agriculture and fisheries, and health, among others.

The Mountain Province LGU’s P271.1 million Climate Field School for Farmers initiative led the new projects that were granted financing by the PSF.

The local government of Maramag, Bukidnon was awarded P126.4-M to establish a disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) approach in its river ecosystem.

Eastern Samar got P118-M for reinforcement of its Lo-om River Flood Protection System in Borongan City as well as livelihoods for its communities.

Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte LGU was provided P8.5-M for its River Ecosystems Sustainable Management.

And, the Municipality of Catanauan in Quezon received P2.6-M for its Mangrove Rehabilitation Project.

Meanwhile, the PSF Board approved two new projects which would be processed for financing.

These are the Municipality of Cortes, Surigao Del Sur’s Building Resilience with Ridge to Reef Adaptation to Climate Change project worth P126.7-M, and Ilocos Norte’s P305.3-M Climate-Resilient Intervention Towards Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management project.

The PSF now has already approved 13 projects and 6 Project Development Grants (PDGs) for which it has fully committed its appropriation of P1 billion.

PSF Board Chairman, Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto remarked, “I congratulate… the LGUs for working hard to conceptualize and study the feasibility of these projects, thus turning them into a reality. Rest assured, that the national government will be with you every step of the way––from streamlining the project proposal process to expediting fund utilization––so that we can fast-track our efforts towards achieving a climate-resilient Philippines.”

For his part, PSF Board Vice Chairman, Climate Change Commission (CCC) Secretary Robert Borje emphasized that the financing of the projects mark a historic milestone in the country’s vision of becoming a climate-smart, climate-resilient nation.

The members of the PSF include the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), as well as representatives from the academe, scientific community, business sector, and non-government organizations.

The PSF Board has submitted its request to the DBM for replenishment of the fund, this time in the amount of P2 billion, to finance more project proposals aimed at addressing climate change at the local level.

📷 PSF FB