Binay seeks release of P1-B people’s survival fund

MANILA, Philippines – The government should immediately release the P1-billion people’s survival fund (PSF) to help local government units (LGUs) prepare for calamities brought about by climate change, Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday.

The PSF is a special fund created through Republic Act 10174.

“The poor get even poorer when hit by disaster,” Binay said, citing Eastern Visayas, where poverty worsened after Super Typhoon Yolanda struck.

He said the annual poverty indicators survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that Eastern Visayas is now the poorest region in the country.

The survey showed that poverty incidence in the region rose to 54.9 percent in 2014, compared to 45 percent in 2012.

Binay said the figure translates to about 2.25 million residents.

He said the People’s Survival Fund Board (PSFB), which administers the PSF, convenes at least twice a year to approve requests for the use of the fund, aside from its other functions.

He said the PSFB should meet at least monthly to approve funding requests from LGUs and community organizations.

“The occurrence of powerful typhoons like Yolanda has become more frequent because of climate change, and the most affected are our poor countrymen,” Binay said.

“How can the government effectively respond to the impacts of climate change when the board meets only twice a year, and the approval process is tedious,” Binay said.

“We need to speed up the approval of the PSF by cutting the documentary requirements,” he added.

Climate adaptation projects

Sen. Loren Legarda said LGUs should take advantage of the government funding for projects focusing on climate change adaptation and mitigation.

In a speech during a climate change summit in Makati City yesterday, Legarda said PSF complements the  Climate Change Law through provision of funds for local governments’ climate adaptation activities, such as land and water resources management, agriculture and fisheries, health, infrastructure development and natural ecosystems preservation. – With Janvic Mateo