MoA helps LGUs access survival fund
THE Climate Change Commission (CCC) and First Gen Corp. (First Gen) signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to help local government units (LGUs) access the People’s Survival Fund (PSF) amid the continued threat of climate change in the country.
The partnership, signed by CCC Vice Chairman and Executive Director Robert Borje and First Gen President and Chief Operating Officer Francis Giles Puno, aims to support the LGUs’ Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs) covering updated climate and disaster risk assessments, and greenhouse gas inventory while developing PSF project proposals.
It will focus on the LGUs particularly in Maria Aurora, Aurora; Pantabangan and Carrangalan in Nueva Ecija; Alfonso Castañeda, Nueva Vizcaya; Lobo, Batangas; Caramoan and Garchitorena in Camarines Sur; Baungon, Impasug-ong, Libona, Manolo Fortich and Talakag in Bukidnon; and Jabonga, Agusan del Norte.
Barangay (villages) at the front lines
Borje said, as of Jan. 19, 2023, 82 percent or 1,399 out of 1,715 LGUs have submitted their LCCAPs to the CCC which intends to achieve 100-percent compliance by 2024.
“Our LGUs, down to the barangay, are at the front lines of climate change and its impact,” Borje said. “They need all the help they can get to have a fighting chance, but they also need transformation. We don’t want them to just adapt, [but] to thrive and grow.”
The CCC-First Gen partnership will strengthen initiatives that involve key stakeholders to promote science- and evidence-based risk assessments, and sustain climatesmart leadership and governance among the target beneficiaries.
Puno said that their agreement with CCC indicates that their “mission of forging collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future” cannot be done alone, and that it is completely aligned with their company goal of addressing climate change.