September 29, 2009
The Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI) said that a total of P11.4 billion additional funding for climate change actions is needed in the 2010 national budget to protect Filipinos from the impact of extreme weather conditions caused by climate change such as the Typhoon Ondoy.
“The Philippines is naturally prone to climate change and the safety of many people can be summarized in three words: ‘Climate Change Financing’,” said former national treasurer Leonor Magtolis Briones, lead convenor of Social Watch Philippines (SWP) which organized the ABI. “The wrath of Ondoy should serve as a wake-up call for government to be climate-change sensitive and to finally adopt the budget for climate change mitigation and adaptation proposed by the ABI’s environment group,” she added.
The ABI, a consortium of 60 non government organizations (NGOs) globally acknowledged for initiating legislator-civil society partnerships for more allocation for environment, education, agriculture and health, has been calling for more funding for climate change adaptation and mitigation measurers since 2006.
The ABI environment group, led by the La Liga Policy Institute (LLPI) and Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), proposed that Philippine Government should add a total of P11.4 billion in certain items in the 2010 budget in order to become climate change sensitive. This includes budget for (1) Climate Change Commission for the finalization of the Philippine climate change action framework and plan; and, for piloting of climate change initiatives in the top ten high risk provinces; (2) harmonization of existing programs to a national climate change action framework and plan; (3) climate change actions within the agriculture sector; (4) orientation of DENR programs, operations and activities towards climate change actions.; and (5) pro-active, not just reactive, programs responding to climate related disasters.
“Changing climate may have caused the recent unusual flood in the capital region but government has big responsibility for its devastating impacts on people especially the poor. We are in harm’s way already considering our poverty situation, the unmanaged wastes that clog waterways, silted rivers due to severe land degradation of the National Capital Region’s watersheds, pollution of Manila Bay etc. Our vulnerability to extreme weather events like abnormal rains increases with government failure to enforce policies that protect our communities and make them more resilient,” said Isagani Serrano, PRRM vice president and SWP convenor.
The ABI’s alternative budget proposal for the environment referred to the Philippine Climate and Weather-Related Risk Map of the Manila Observatory and Department of Environment and Natural Resources. According to the map on provincial-level risks to typhoons, drought caused by El Niño, projected rainfall change and projected temperature increase, the top ten provinces in terms of risk are: Albay, Pampanga, Ifugao, Sorsogon, Biliran, Rizal, Northern Samar, Cavite, Masbate, and Laguna. In general, the regions of Central Luzon and Bicol rank high to very-high on the risk scale.
“Data from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) shows that in the past ten years (1999-2009), a total of 32.6 million Filipinos have already been affected by environment-related disasters with an economic damage cost estimated at P131.2 billion. We urge government to think of sustainability instead of short term gains and consider budget increase for environment as an urgent matter,” Serrano said.
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Social Watch Philippines 