File photo shows Baguio City residents and visitors revisiting the remaining forest cover of the summer capital in this photo taken on Oct. 26, 2021. The community is actively campaigning for the preservation of trees in the city (EV ESPIRITU)
MANILA, Philippines — Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Saturday called on colleagues in government service to “intensify climate change planning and programming” as the nation marked Earth Day.
“In our goal of achieving the Marcos administration’s Agenda for Prosperity, I would like to reiterate my call to every national government agency and all stakeholders to intensify our climate change planning and programming,” Pangandaman said in a statement.
“Let us ensure that we identify environment-related programs and projects in our preparation of the national budget in line with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028,” she added.
As part of its response to climate change in the country, Pangandaman reported that the DBM has allocated P2.39 billion for the implementation of the National Greening Program.
The program under the Forest Management Bureau (FMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) aims to reforest “unproductive, denuded and degraded forestlands” in the country.
DENR announced in November plans to intensify the program, targeting to plant on over 2 million hectares of land by 2028.
The greening initiative also includes provisions for the Protected Areas Development and Management Program, Manila Bay Rehabilitation, and Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program.
“The serious implications that climate change poses are not just a problem for the next generation but also a present danger that is undeniably felt in our time,” said the state budget secretary.
“We need to act now by protecting our planet and its natural resources before it’s too late.”