By Juzel L. Danganan
MANILA, June 7 (PNA) – Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad sees a higher climate change adaptation budget for the government next year, surpassing the Php 100 billion allocation this year.
”If the climate change adaptation and resiliency programs was Php 100 billion for 2015 — I think there’s going to be significant growth for next year,” Abad told reporters.
He pointed out the climate change resiliency budget has nearly doubled within three years. For the 2015 budget, it comprised 4 percent.
Abad noted some infrastructure projects had been altered due to climate change, such as innovating designs to direct rainfall to move towards areas that need water and away from sitios.
He recalled construction of classrooms was also delayed to give way to new designs and upgrade its resiliency to 275 kilometers per hour (kph) storms. Abad noted that this includes spending for thicker walls, thicker steel bars and re-designing windows, so water stays would be out of the rooms.
Aside from the Php 100 billion government budget, the DBM head said community organizations found that Php 1.6 billion had been used for climate change activities.
He further emphasized the government also spent Php 49 million for flood control programs along the 18 river basins last year.
Abad said spending for prevention measures will save more compared to rehabilitation costs.
He recalled the 2015 budget addressed three main segments, poverty, poverty-stricken areas and geohazard areas.
Abad added all government agencies are currently auditing climate change related programs to determine how much the Philippines needs to spend on climate change mitigation investments. It will be completed by 2016, in partnership with the World Bank.
He stressed that climate change action plan will cover the entire government.
The DBM secretary assured the agency had designed the project for easy oversight – where DBM could see where the allocation is going.
Last year, the government released Php 180 billion for the rehabilitation and rescue works that was incurred during the onslaught by typhoon “Yolanda”. (PNA)