Philippines may seek international aid to address climate change

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines may tap foreign funding to help address the effects of climate change, especially in vulnerable areas, as the Department of Budget and Management has released P1.15 billion to the Department of Public Works and Highways to boost infrastructure projects in areas affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

“We are still in the process of (rehabilitation) and reconstruction. We need all the support that we can get… any support that will be offered will be welcomed,” Climate Change Commission Secretary Mary Ann Lucille Sering said in a press briefing yesterday.

Sering said the 50-million euros in loan facility offered by French President Francois Hollande was welcome but it would have to be studied “closely and carefully” to ensure it would not affect ongoing negotiations.

“It (loan offer) will go through a process. The support given for developing countries like the Philippines should preferably be not a debt so it would not be a burden,” she explained.

She said there are existing windows of financing that can be tapped, such as the Green Climate Fund of which the Philippines is co-chair.

“The first chair of the Green Climate Fund was the Philippines, together with Germany. It is now a $10-billion fund that was operationalized last December. We can tap it as it is primarily a grant,” Sering said.

She said loans would have to pass through aid agencies but the government could directly access the Climate Fund and the country has the opportunity to tap it this year.

The other one is the Adaptation Fund also under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process to which the Philippines can be eligible to secure a grant from $5 million to $10 million.

“So we have these existing facilities that we can already access and then maybe we could look at the loan and hopefully that will not be a burden to us because 50-million euros is about P2.4 billion in a concept of a loan,” Sering said.

She also expressed hope that during the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December, financing for developing countries bearing the brunt of climate change will be clear in the agreement.

“We have reached the initial stage which is $10 billion, we reached it last December in Lima (Peru). And what we’re looking at now is $100 billion by 2020 annually,” Sering said.

Another major contention in the negotiations, Sering said, was on the reduction of greenhouse gases.

“This year, countries are expected to submit their Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, which means what can each and everyone give with respect to the reduction of greenhouse gases,” Sering said.

Last year, President Aquino went to New York and in his speech, called on developed countries to contribute and help developing countries.

Sering said the Philippines would submit its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution by August and they are now consulting with relevant agencies like Department of Energy, Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of Agriculture as well as the National Economic and Development Authority.

The current consensus among the international community is to prevent the warming of the earth from rising above two degrees Celsius but environmentalists say developing nations, many of them in the tropics, believe the warming limit should be one or 1.5 degree C.

Sering said the Philippines was lucky to be getting more attention, especially since it had taken over the presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a group of 20 developing countries.

She added Hollande’s visit to Guiuan, Eastern Samar last week was an eye-opener for most of those in the delegation and they liked the way they were welcomed by local officials and communities.

According to Sering, Hollande enjoyed the kids’ song for him and “even said that he will personally promote Guiuan in France and took a brochure from the locals.”

Another boost

Meanwhile, various regions severely hit by Yolanda got another boost after the government released P1.15 billion to support critical infrastructure projects.

The money, sourced from the 2014 rehabilitation and reconstruction program fund, has been remitted to the DPWH to cover the construction and restoration of roads and thoroughfares that were affected by Yolanda in different cities and municipalities of Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas.

“The 2015 budget has been designed to give full support to various rehabilitation and reconstruction projects this year. Consistent with our Build-Back-Better strategy, we don’t just plan to rebuild roads and bridges damaged by Yolanda. We also intend to develop better and more resilient infrastructure that will enable the affected regions to weather future calamities,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said.

The top recipient is Eastern Visayas, which experienced the most damage after being directly hit by the typhoon. It received P661.7 million divided among Tacloban, Leyte, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Samar.

Western Visayas, on the other hand, will receive P305.9 million, benefiting the provinces of Antique, Iloilo, Aklan and Capiz.

Abad said “the latest release will help fulfill the administration’s target for 2015, which is for infrastructure spending to reach four percent of the GDP this year.

“More important, the infrastructure expansion in these areas will spur renewed economic activity, which will ultimately lead to more livelihood opportunities for our people.”

The DPWH has the second-largest allocation in the 2015 national budget with P303.2 billion, higher by 37.9 percent from P219.9 billion in 2014. Of this total, P185.8 billion will be allotted for the completion of all national roads by 2016 and all bridges along national roads by 2015. – Aurea Calica, Zinnia dela Peña