DBM: Marcos admin allots P2.39B for nat’l greening program

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Wednesday said the Marcos administration has allocated P2.39 billion for the National Greening Program under the 2023 General Appropriation Act (GAA).

“As mandated by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we will remain committed to attaining inclusive and sustainable transformation toward a greener economy. But we cannot achieve this goal if we neglect our environment,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said in a statement.

“That’s why, in crafting our national budget, we also put a premium on environmental expenditures. Kaya naman po ngayong taon, mas tinaasan pa natin ang budget para sa climate change programs and activities,” Pangandaman said.

The National Greening Program is a project under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

It is a massive forest rehabilitation initiative in pursuit of sustainable development for poverty alleviation, food security, biodiversity conservation, environmental stability, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The program covers a land area of 13,565 hectares; 7,249,642 seedlings to be planted; and 158,843 hectares to be maintained.

“Kita naman po natin ngayon pa lamang, ramdam nating lahat ang epekto ng climate change, lalo na ang pagpasok ng El Niño. Kaya paulit-ulit din pong panawagan ng DBM sa bawat ahensya na maglaan sa kanilang budget proposal ng mga provision para sa pagtugon sa climate change,” Pangandaman added.

(We are already seeing the effects of climate change, especially with the upcoming onset of El Niño. This is why the DBM is repeatedly calling all agencies to include in their budget proposals provisions for mitigating climate change.)

The Marcos administration has allotted P464.5 billion for 2023 to address climate change, according to the DBM chief.

The allocation is higher by 60.1% compared to the P289.7 billion allocation in 2022. —VAL, GMA Integrated News