DILG vows support for Green Climate Fund project

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has pledged support for the first Green Climate Fund (CGF) project in the country.

The $10-million GCF project will establish a multi-hazard impact-based forecasting and early warning system (MH-IBF-EWS) in four identified local government units nationwide that are susceptible to climate change. 

Tuguegarao City, Legazpi City, the town of Palo in Leyte, and New Bataan in Davao de Oro are the target beneficiaries of the multimillion-dollar project that was approved by the GCF board during its recent meeting.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año thanked the GCF for approving the project as he said it will help complement government initiatives that ensure LGUs are equipped with the right information when dealing with climate change.

“Climate change has been a global issue that we can’t just take for granted. We must acknowledge it and fortify our country with safety measures like the MH-IBF-EWS. As one of the most vulnerable countries that can fall victim to climate change, we should be proactive in developing counter-measures,” Año said in a statement. 

The DILG is one of the project’s implementing agencies and has been tasked to lead the advocacy, outreach, and public awareness on MH-IBF-EWS.

The department will also help in the project’s capacity-building initiatives for the LGUs, as well as in the updating of disaster and response protocols using the early warning system. 

The MH-IBF-EWS provides tailored climate risk information for LGUs that use hazard forecasts, warnings and also convey specific impacts for the communities on the ground. 

The project will implement four outputs, which include the generation of science-based multi-hazard weather and risk information, the establishment of the MH-IBF-EWS, the improvement of national and local capacities, and the forecasting of early actions. 

The MH-IBF-EWS is spearheaded by the Climate Change Commission and Deputy Speaker and Antique Rep. Loren Legarda, also an alternate member of the GCF Board.

Other executing agencies are the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of Civil Defense, World Food Program and the target LGUs.