Finance Secretary and People’s Survival Fund (PSF) Board Chairperson Benjamin E. Diokno signed the financing agreements for the PSF Project Development Grant (PDG) with local chief executives, granting up to PHP2 million each to five (5) Northern Samar local government units (LGUs) on June 1, 2023 at the Department of Finance (DOF) office in Manila.

“The DOF recognizes the critical role LGUs play in ensuring that climate projects are successful. It is therefore necessary that we strengthen LGUs’ capacities to produce and carry out local climate change adaptation projects that would effectively boost their resilience,” Secretary Diokno said in a recorded message.

The PSF was created by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 10174 as an annual fund for LGUs and accredited local/community organizations to implement projects that would help vulnerable communities deal with climate change impacts.

The PDGs under PSF will support activities essential to the identification and development of climate change adaptation projects, which will be implemented for a period of two (2) years.

The grants are intended to help LGUs enhance their PSF proposals by providing additional funding during the project initiation stage.

The PDGs were awarded to the municipalities of Bobon, Mondragon, Pambujan, Rosario, and San Jose.

Mayors Reny A. Celespara (Municipality of Bobon), David A. Bido (Municipality of Rosario), and Damian T. Luzon, Jr., (Municipality San Jose, Northern Samar) accepted the grants on behalf of their municipalities.

“The PDG is an ideal tool to transform their vision into comprehensive and feasible proposals that have tangible and lasting effects on our local communities,” Secretary Diokno said.

The first-ever PDG was made possible through the collaborative effort of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and PSF Board Member agencies, together with the DOF.

Through the PSF Board, the DOF is determined to roll out new projects and facilitate LGUs’ access to grants under the PSF.