Senate President Enrile commits to a People's Survival Fund
for climate change

"As the country reels from the impacts of climate change, we must expeditiously and effectively use public and private finance as an important tool to ensure that vulnerable communities become resilient in the face of a climate crisis", Enrile stated.

The Senate President committed to lead a countrywide campaign to establish a "People's Survival Fund" that will allow direct access to the Fund and will create predictable and long term finance streams for urgent adaptation and disaster preparedness programs.

Enrile filed Senate Bill 2558 that seeks to establish a People's Survival Fund, thereby amending Republic Act 9729 otherwise known as the "Climate Change Act of 2009". The Fund shall be used to finance adaptation programs and projects that are directly supportive of the objectives enumerated in the Climate Change Action plans of the local government units, with utmost regard for transparency, equitability and accountability.

The Fund shall be taken from various sources including, but not limited to, the following, namely: (a) the General Appropriations Act; (b) part of the cash dividends declared by all Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations; (c) a portion of the Certified Emission Reduction earned under the Clean Development Mechanism; and (d) a portion of the Motor Vehicle User's Charge.

A People's Survival Fund Board shall be established under the Climate Change Commission to administer the fund and to institute measures to ensure that the public interest is best served.

Enrile called on the Aquino administration to declare "adaptation as the country's priority and to ensure domestic measures provide maximum protection to our people from the impacts of the climate crisis, which rich nations are largely responsible for."

"I called for the immediate investigation of overseas climate finance that has entered the Philippines as loans or grants with potentially adverse conditionalities," Enrile stated. "The climate debate is about justice. Harm was inflicted on our people. We should be receiving compensation and instead we are accepting loans. This has to change," Enrile emphatically commented.