DBM Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno delivers his keynote speech at the Forum on Green Finance on January 17, 2019

Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno discussed the Philippine government’s programs to channel more resources to green investments at the Forum on Green Finance held yesterday at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The said forum, spearheaded by the British Embassy Manila in collaboration with the Department of Finance (DOF), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Climate Change Commission (CCC), gathered experts across disciplines and sectors to share experiences and best practices in climate funding. The discussions were led by representatives from the public sector, banking and finance institutions, multilateral lenders, civil society organizations, and academia.

          In his keynote speech, Secretary Diokno highlighted programs in the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) that support sustainable development and green finance. He cited the Green Green Green program of the DBM, an offshoot of the Duterte administration’s Build Build Build program. In the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the said program has an allocation of PhP 2.6 billion.

          “In our pursuit of a robust economy and public infrastructure development, we make it a point to ensure that our sustainability goals are not compromised. The Green Green Green program aims to make the country’s 145 cities more livable through the development of public open spaces,” said the Budget Secretary.

          “Green Green Green will help city governments create forest parks, arboretum, and botanical gardens; improve livability of urban areas through various activities and methods such as landscaping, turfing, and tree planting; and transform streetscapes through installation of eco-friendly street furniture, fixtures, and shading,” Secretary Diokno added.

          He also cited the recent reform of climate expenditure tagging, which is published annually in the Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing. “Under the Duterte administration, climate expenditures now exceed PhP 200 billion annually, both for adaptation and mitigation measures,” said the Budget Chief. “In historical terms, this is a major improvement. From 2003 to 2009, climate expenditures only amounted to a mere 1% to 2% of the total budget. This has more than tripled as we now allocate 6% to 7% of annual appropriations for climate change mitigation and adaptation,” he elaborated.

          Lastly, Secretary Diokno shared with the audience reforms in public procurement that brought green elements to the process. “The government is the single largest buyer in the market, and can heavily influence the development of green products and industries. Hence, institutionalizing green procurement processes is one of the many strategies of the government to uphold sustainable development,” said the DBM Secretary.

          “We have identified the top ten common-used supplies and non-common-used supplies. So expect that in the near future, the government will have toilet paper, record books, chairs, computers, refrigerators, air conditioners, vehicles, among other equipment and facilities that comply with Green Public Procurement,” he said.

          “We know that going green is the future,” Secretary Diokno concluded.

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