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News
September 29, 2009
PhP 11.4 billion more needed in 2010 to
save Filipinos from floods and storms
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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