Local governments are on the frontlines of disasters and the impacts of the climate crisis. As vulnerable countries expect calamities to hit harder and with more frequency, funding for adaptation becomes a matter of survival.
Aside from the disaster funds, there is money available for local governments and community organizations to help them make long-term plans and adapt to climate change impacts: the People’s Survival Fund or the PSF.
The PSF was created under Republic Act No. 10174 (which amended the Climate Change Act) in 2012. The government allocates an annual fund of P1 billion to the PSF under the General Appropriations Act. The Department of Finance (DOF) heads the board that oversees the fund.
The budget could be increased if the Office of the President and the Department of Budget and Management see the need – and depending on the accomplishments of the program.
These are projects that concern water resource management, land management, agriculture, health, disease monitoring, early warning systems, among others.
Aside from climate adaptation projects, the PSF gives project development grants for municipalities (second class or lower) who want to conduct assessments that will help them eventually prepare a proposal. These grants provide up to P2,000,000.
The PSF board has approved 13 projects and six grants, benefitting 19 municipalities, as August 31, according to the Climate Change Commission (CCC). Over P300,000,000 from the fund has been disbursed.
Approved projects, delays
It took years before the next batch of projects was approved in 2023. The first batch, worth P310.34 million, was approved back in 2016.
In 2023, the PSF board approved P539 million worth of projects. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. officially awarded funds to six municipalities a day before the global climate talks started in Dubai.
Here’s the list of projects:
| Municipality/Province | Project | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu | Building Resilience through Community Based Ecological Farming | P33,891,670 |
| Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte | Siargao Climate Field School for Farmers and Fisherfolks | P80,705,896.80 |
| Lanuza, Surigao del Sur | Disaster Risk Reduction and Mechanism Response as Coping Mechanism to Resiliency | P39,048,000.00 |
| Gerona, Tarlac | Promoting a Climate-Informed Gerona | P38,100,000.00 |
| Kitcharao, Agusan del Sur | Establishment and Sustainable Management of River Ecosystem in Kitcharao | P112,983,416.01 |
| Sarangani | Saub Watershed Ecosystem Rehabilitation and Flood Risk Reduction for Increased Resilience | P33,484,789.33 |
| Mountain Province | Mountain Province Field School for Farmers | P271,150,900.00 |
| Maramag, Bukidnon | Enhancing the Climate Adaptive Capacity of Communities through Establishing a Disaster Risk Reduction Management Approach in the River Ecosystem of Maramag, Bukidnon | P126,396,491.45 |
| Borongan City, Eastern Samar | Reinforcement of Lo-om River Flood Protection and Redevelopment for Resilient Communities and Livelihoods | P117,964,960.92 |
| Cabagan, Isabela | Construction of 10 units of solar powered pump in different barangays | P21,284,725.7 |
| Catanauan, Quezon | Mangrove rehabilitation project | P2,638,000.00 |
| Cortes, Surigao del Sur | Building Resilience with Ridge to Reef Adaptation to Climate Change | P126,690,000.00 |
| Ilocos Norte | Ilocos Norte Climate-Resilient Intervention towards Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management | P305,286,756.00 |
| Municipality | Project development grant | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Bobon, Northern Samar | Establishment of the Bobon-LGU Green Mitigation and Adaptation Infrastructures Technologies with Livelihood Complementation | P2,000,000 |
| Mondragon, Northern Samar | Mondragon-LGU Ecosystem Based Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation as a Showcase for Environmental Restoration and Conservation | P2,000,000 |
| Pambujan, Northern Samar | Establishment of the Pambujan-LGU Climate Smart Agriculture cum Environmental Restoration and Conservation of Selected Barangays Coastal Zones-Rivers-Estuaries | P2,000,000 |
| Rosario, Northern Samar | Establishment of Rosario-LGU Green Mitigation and Adaptation Infrastructures Technologies with Livelihood Compensation | P2,000,000 |
| San Jose, Northern Samar | Application of Nature Based Solutions to Conserve and Restore the Ecosystems of LGU-San Jose Selected Barangay Shorelines, Rivers, and Estuaries | P2,000,000 |
| Sadanga, Mountain Province | Building Resiliency and Ensuring Food Security through Water Harvesting Structures | P2,000,000 |
In a recent report, the Commission on Audit (COA) found that the board only called for proposals from 2015 to 2017, instead of calling for proposals two times a year.
COA said that aside from the irregular proposal calls, rejection rate could be attributed to strict documentary requirements and proponents’ lack of technical capacity to put forward proposals.
According to the CCC, projects proposals are assessed by the municipalities’ level of poverty incidence, the multiple hazards that increase risk in the town, and the presence of key biodiversity areas in project sites. – Rappler.com