By Prince Golez
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Tuesday emphasized the need to identify environment-related programs and projects in the national budget.
“While we are on track with our Agenda for Prosperity, our efforts will be futile if we are unable to address climate change, as it continues to pose significant risks to our economic development,” Pangandaman said during the Annual Climate Change Expenditure Tracking Virtual Orientation.
The workshop, organized by DBM and the Climate Change Commission, explained to government agencies the necessity of intensified climate change planning and programming, and provided clear, concise, and up-to-date information for national government planning and budget officers.
Citing the 2022 World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Report for the Philippines, the secretary said that mainstreaming climate considerations in public financial management is crucial in climate change adaptation and mitigation.
To address climate change, Pangandaman noted that the government has allotted a budget of P464.5 billion this year, equivalent to 8.8 percent of the total national budget. This is significantly higher by 60.1 percent compared to the 2022 allocation of P289.7 billion.
The government also prioritizes climate change mitigation and adaptation programs that are in line with the National Climate Change Action Plan, according to her.
She said water sufficiency projects account for almost 80 percent of the total climate change budget, followed by sustainable energy, food security, ecosystem and environmental stability, climate smart industries and services, human security, and knowledge and capacity development.
Disaster resilience also takes priority, including the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund with P20.50 billion; Quick Response Fund, P17.15 billion; and Flood Management Program, P182.99 billion.
The National Greening Program gets P2.39 billion in funding, with P1.86 billion going to the Protected Areas Development and Management Program, P1.56 billion to the Manila Bay Restoration, and P246 million to the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program.
Meanwhile, Pangandaman urged all planning and budget officers, as well as climate change technical experts, to provide efficient and effective climate change expenditure tracking.
“May we keep in mind that we are doing all these to ensure that our economic progress is moving towards a truly inclusive and sustainable economy — one that will be felt by every individual, family, and entity in the country, and will benefit not only citizens in the world today but also in the generations to come,” she said.
