Thank you, Mr. President
In the last five State of the Nation Addresses (SONA) of President Benigno S. Aquino III, climate change was never mentioned. This led several well-meaning citizens to push for the inclusion of the government’s climate change agenda at least on his last SONA. In his recent and final SONA, two hours and five minutes long, again, there is nary a mention of climate change. As his Climate Change secretary, I should feel disappointed. But being in the know of the plans and programs of government, there is no reason to be. Climate change is considered the biggest development challenge of our times due its cross-sectoral impacts. So it requires a compilation of cross-sectoral responses to address it. Project Noah of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the National Greening Program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are just a few of them.
It does not mean, however, that if nothing has been publicly mentioned or published, nothing has been done. So here are some of the major accomplishments of the Aquino administration that addresses climate change:
Creation of the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
The aim of the creation of the five cabinet clusters, including a cluster on climate change, was to address the key priority areas of the Aquino administration. The Philippine Development Plan of the previous administration did not mention climate change except in the context of carbon credits. It was only under the Aquino administration that the climate change agenda was raised at the Cabinet level and finally mentioned prominently in the Philippine Development Plan. The first National Climate Change Action Plan was also approved and became the template for the cabinet cluster. Chaired by the DENR, the cabinet cluster was able to advance convergence of programs including that of other agencies, avoided replication of programs and promoted transparency.
The largest budget for climate change programs in Philippine history
The Climate Change Commission, together with the Department of Budget and Management, availed of the World Bank support for the national budget review on climate change. Under the Climate Public Expenditure Review, the study revealed that since 2008, the climate appropriations have increased by 2.5 times in real terms and on average of 26% annually, outpacing the growth of the national budget of only 6%. Together with the DBM and with the full support of Secretary Florencio Abad, a joint memorandum circular was issued in 2013 requiring agencies to allot an annual budget for climate change and it developed a new typology in the budgeting process. From P12 billion in 2008, the consolidated climate budget for 2015 is now R129.8 billion, and a proposed 2016 budget of R129.29 billion.
The creation of the People’s Survival Fund (PSF) for local governments and communities
The Climate Change Act of 2009 was amended in 2012, creating the People Survival Fund Board chaired by the Department of Finance (DOF). On top of national government support, the PSF Board is in charge of a fund that will allow local governments and communities to access financing for plans under a bottom-top approach. Although the implementing rules has yet to be signed due to some last-minute proposed provisions from the DOF, the fund, currently at R1 billion, is ready for disbursement. A call for proposals from local governments will be issued in the next weeks.
The approval of the supplemental guidelines on mainstreaming climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in local land use plans
The approval of the supplemental guidelines in 2013 will now mandate local governments to incorporate vulnerability assessments in their local development plans. Most of the local land use plans are not based on science-based vulnerabilities, posing future challenges in current development. With rainfall projections of PAGASA for years 2020 and 2050 and other scientific tools finally available, local governments may now incorporate these projections in their plans and have a more pro-active rather than just the usual reactive approach in addressing climate change and disaster risk.
There are others that are worth mentioning, but due to limited space, I am only able to mention the above. The above policies, however, have wide-ranging long-term impacts and definitely an improvement in terms of how the government is prioritizing climate change. So when the President thanked his cabinet, including yours truly, during his SONA on Monday, all I can say was, “No, Mr. President, Thank you.” Secretary Sering is the vice chairperson of the Climate Change Commission. For more information, visit www.climate.gov.ph, and @CCCPHL on Facebook and Twitter.