Borongan gets P118M for Lo-om River rehab
TACLOBAN CITY—The city of Borongan, the provincial capital of Eastern Samar, received P118.88 million from the national government to help improve one of its major rivers amid threats of climate change. City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda personally received the financial assistance from President Marcos on Nov. 29 in a ceremony in Malacañang.
The money would be used by the city government to construct a tide embankment at the Lo-om River as a flood control measure and at the same time conduct reforestation of mangroves along the same river.
Lo-om River is one of the major waterways of Borongan spanning 8 kilometers and covering Barangays B, Alang-alang, D1, D2, Tabok, F, H, Campesao, Calico-an, Siha, San Jose and San Gabriel.
The fund was taken from the People’s Survival Fund (PSF), which was established under Republic Act 10174 to help local governments in the implementation of climate change adaptation projects, the city government said.
“Before the release of the fund, the city’s proposal to rehabilitate and improve the Lo-om River underwent a series of assessments with the PSF board secretariat and its board member agencies to ensure that the project adheres to the climate-responsive standards set by the PSF,” said the Borongan City Information Office.
Aside from Borongan City, four other local governments in the country were also granted funding under the PSF.
For Mountain Province, the project will involve the construction of a P271.15-million Climate Field School, which aims to boost agricultural and fisheries sectors; and a P2-million project development grant for the water harvesting structures in Besao town.
Maramag town in Bukidnon got P126.40 million for drainage systems and agroforestry development.
The other approved projects were a solar-powered lamp project in Cabagan town of Isabela province (P21.28 million) and mangrove rehabilitation in Catanauan town of Quezon province (P2.64 million).
Transformative action
The Climate Change Commission (CCC) lauded the approval of additional climate adaptation projects under the Marcos administration through the PSF, adding it was a “demonstration of leadership in transformative climate action via a dedicated public domestic climate finance mechanism.”
“The allocation of over P541 million for six new climate adaptation initiatives signifies the Marcos administration’s commitment to proactive governance and strengthening the nation’s adaptive capacity against climate change,” the CCC said in a statement on Nov. 30.
According to the CCC, the PSF projects would “serve as a safeguard” against the effects of climate change, making the Philippines a “trailblazer in domestic climate finance for adaptation, showcasing our nation’s commitment to global environmental responsibility.”
Robert Eric Borje, CCC vice chair and executive director, said in the statement that the approval of these projects sent a “powerful message that the Marcos administration can mobilize critical domestic resources to advance adaptation measures at the local and community levels, especially at a time when risks and challenges posed by climate change demand immediate and urgent actions.” INQ
