Five new climate projects raise PSF-funded initiatives to ₱1.4 billion
By Derco Rosal
At A Glance
- Five new climate projects across the Philippines, totaling nearly ₱100 million, have been added to the list of projects greenlit by the People's Survival Fund (PSF) Board, bringing the total to ₱1.4 billion.
Five new climate projects across the Philippines, totaling nearly ₱100 million, have been added to the list of projects greenlit by the People’s Survival Fund (PSF) Board, bringing the total to ₱1.4 billion.
The PSF Board has committed to grant resources for five new projects across the country worth ₱99.7 million to help local government units (LGUs) address climate vulnerability. To date, the PSF Board has approved a total of 21 local climate adaptation projects and project development grants.
“These climate adaptation projects are part of our whole-of-government effort to protect the most vulnerable communities from the effects of climate-related disasters,” Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said in a July 21 statement.
According to the DOF, the ₱86.2-million project in Pandan, Catanduanes “will address the municipality’s vulnerability to storm surges and drought by implementing reforestation and climate smart infrastructure initiatives.”
As the project’s first component, the Mangrove EcoShield Project will reforest 10 hectares (ha) of mangroves across six barangays and establish a nursery in Brgy. Balagñonan to boost climate protection and support livelihoods for over 500 members of local fisherfolk and community groups.
The project’s second component, Climate-Smart Infrastructure Support for Agriculture (CSISA), aims to boost agricultural resilience by reducing dependence on external vegetable sources and aiding nearly 800 farmers and community members affected by drought.
The ₱7.5-million project in Tagum City, Davao del Norte will address flooding risks through reforestation and the installation of an early warning system.
Additionally, the project’s mangrove habitat protection and restoration component will restore 55 ha of degraded mangrove areas across five barangays in Tagum, which have been heavily impacted by prolonged rains and strong wave action.
The project is expected to bolster the livelihoods of nearly 1,900 local fisherfolk who depend on healthy mangrove ecosystems for fishing and other resource-based activities.
Three additional project development grants worth ₱2 million each were approved to support proponents in crafting full project proposals.
In particular, grants were approved for Basay, Negros Oriental to support a proposal for river and watershed rehabilitation; for Claver, Surigao del Norte to design nature-based solutions against storm surges; and for Rizal, Kalinga to develop irrigation networks to ease drought impact on agriculture.
These five projects were approved during the 23rd PSF board meeting last July 18, which the DOF chaired.
The PSF serves as a pioneering national climate adaptation fund, enabling LGUs to develop and carry out community-based climate resilience projects.