MANILA, Philippines — The government plans to allocate a record P453 billion out of its proposed P5.27 trillion budget proposal for next year for projects that will address the worsening impacts of climate change.
Under the National Expenditure Program (NEP), the government’s budget for climate change adaptation and mitigation for 2023 is 56.4 percent higher than this year’s allocation of P289.73 billion.
Of the P453 billion, bulk or P265 billion will go to water sufficiency projects.
Another P132 billion is earmarked for sustainable energy and P41 billion for food security.
According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), climate change expenditures will continuously prioritize funding for major projects such as the flood management program of the Department of Public Works and Highways with an allocation of P169 billion.
The amount will cover the construction and rehabilitation of flood-mitigation structures and drainage systems nationwide.
Around P2.49 billion will be spent for the national greening program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The allocation will be used to plant 6.18 million seedlings in 11,631 hectares of land resources.
Budget chief Amenah Pangandama said a 21.3 percent increase in climate-related expenditures has been observed since 2015.
The directive for Climate Change Expenditure Tagging is based on the joint memorandum circular of the DBM and the Climate Change Commission. It targets to track, monitor, and report programs that help address and alleviate problems posed by climate change.