Local governments asked to create climate change action plan

THE Climate Change Commission (CCC) said local governments need to carry out their own action plans to address the threats posed by global crisis.

“Local chief executives and legislative bodies have to create their climate change action plan that outlines measures they will undertake to address the effects of climate change,” Commissioner Heherson Alvarez said.

Alvarez said the Republic Act No. 9729 section 14 or the Climate Change Act provides that local government units shall be frontline agencies in formulating, planning, and implementing climate change action plans in their areas, consistent with the provisions of the Local Government Code, the National Framework Strategy on Climate Change, and the National Climate Change Action Plans.

“Local governments are also mandated to allocate a portion of their annual budget to develop and implement their climate change programs,” Alvarez said.

He said local governments may request technical and financial assistance from the National Government and can also avail of Disaster Management Fund, a loan administered by the Department of Finance at 3-5 percent interest rates. It aims to provide timely financial support for initiatives to manage disaster and damage.

According to the 2011 World Risk Index, the Philippines ranked third among the countries that are at risk from rising sea levels and severe tropical storms because of its geographic location.

About 70 percent of its cities and towns are on the coast and the vulnerability of its population to climate change is made worse by high poverty levels, and the negative environmental and social impacts of the country’s large natural-resource extraction industries such as mining and logging.

The Philippines has recently received from the German government a $42.2-million grant for climate change mitigation projects to be implemented until 2017.

The initiatives aim to secure the country’s natural resources for local livelihood, training, and raising public awareness. Projects will be implemented in the country with technical support from the German Development Cooperation-Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). (Leyte Samar Daily Express)