Aside from constant travel, Climate Change Commission has very little to show--Imee

Since its creation in 2009, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) has very little to show except for constant travel.

This was the lament of Senator Imee Marcos when she presented the P128-million appropriations for CCC on the 2023 fiscal year during the Senate deliberation on the proposed 2023 P5.268-trillion national budget.

Marcos said that from April to November of this year, 20 trips were recorded by the CCC.

She also said the mainstreaming at the local government unit (LGU) level has been cited for a mere 18 percent accomplishment, which is the fundamental part of the Climate Change Program.

Furthermore, Marcos sought an audit of the P1-billion People’s Survival Fund that was released in 2015, noting that of that amount, P690 million remains with the CCC unexpended.

“With that, I hope we can pass the budget of P128 million, disallowing travel unless absolutely necessary,” she added.

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, who presides over the plenary deliberation of the proposed CCC P128-million budget. Said she would no longer ask questions being the presiding officer but requests the commissioners to submit a report on all their trips to the senators as well as the status of their negotiations and ‘’the inclusion of the loss and damage in the agenda for the Egypt talks".

She also asked a report on the funds and projects accessed by the Philippine government since the beginning of the enactment into law and the creation of the commission.

Legarda, likewise, asked the commission to likewise submit the travel records of the technical advisors and consultants.

“I think that should apply not just to the Climate Change Commission but to all agencies in the executive department so that whatever conferences they can attend can be used for policy,” she added.