Rizal 2nd District Representative Fidel Nograles urged Local Government Units (LGU) to apply for funding of their projects to address climate change given that the P1 billion fund allocated for this purpose remains to be under-utilized.
“The fund remains underused, even as our communities are perennially laid to waste because of calamities that have become more intense. Lalo lang pong lalala ang epekto ng climate change, kaya kailangang maging seryoso din tayo sa pagpapatupad ng mga programa na sisiguro sa kaligtasan ng mga kababayan natin,” Nograles said. He advised LGUs to submit proposals with rigor to avoid rejections to their applications.
Last year, a report by the Bureau of Treasury stated that 129 proponents from LGUs and local community organizations pitched 172 project proposals for the People’s Survival Fund (PSF), worth a total of P14.57 billion. However, most applications failed to pass the initial screening due to incomplete documents or because the project activities were not eligible.
Nograles said that LGUs should “adopt a mitigation mindset and discard the “pwede na” attitude when it comes to conceptualizing climate adaptation programs. The Harvard-trained lawyer even stated, “Mula sa pag-isip pa lang ng programa, dapat masiguro nating pulido at base sa siyensya ang mga ito. Huwag mahihiyang magtanong at kumonsulta sa mga expert para hindi ma-reject ang application.”
Nograles also advised the Climate Change Commission (CCC) to revisit its strategy to entice more LGUs to submit their proposals.
The Philippines ranked 17th as the most affected country from extreme weather events in the world based on the Global Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2021. The country also ranked 7th in the CRI In economic losses, with climate-related events costing the Philippines a total of US$ 4.5 billion in absolute losses in 2018.
Photo Credit: Facebook/CongFidelNograles