THE Climate Change Commission (CCC) spent P275 million of taxpayers’ money in the previous two years but it has shown an appalling performance in ensuring compliance with the country’s commitments after signing the Paris Agreement in 2017.
In the 2019 report on the CCC, the Commission on Audit noted the absence of “structured guidelines on the monitoring and evaluation of the climate change policy and advisory program.”
The Philippines, listed by the Global Climate Risk Index in 2015 as the number one most affected country by climate change, supported the Paris Agreement to halt global temperature rise at 1.5 degrees Centigrade above the pre-industrial temperature levels — the global warming threshold for the survival of vulnerable states.
Among its commitments was a shift to clean energy to support its economy, creation and promotion of green jobs, strengthening the resilience of indigenous communities and the urban poor, and the submission of regular reports on the monitoring of the nationally determined contribution (NDC).
To pursue these objectives, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the CCC issued Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2015-01 dated July 23, 2015 requiring all local government units (LGUs) to submit electronic copies of their Annual Investment Programs (AIPs).
Responding to the audit findings, the CCC management claimed it has already undertaken “corrective and enhancement measures” to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation protocols.
It said it is “exploring the possibility” of designating focal person per province to consolidate climate change data expenditure tagging (CCET) data and is improving collaboration with other government agencies.
The idea is to facilitate monitoring and tracking of climate-related projects in all levels of the government to be supervised by the CCC’s Implementation and Oversight Division.
Compliance-wise, it was embarrassing.
