People’s Survival Fund launches nationwide caravan for climate resilience

The People’s Survival Fund Board, led by the Department of Finance, has launched a nationwide PSF Caravan beginning in Mindanao to equip local government units with tools and knowledge to access climate finance and deliver locally led adaptation projects.

“The purpose of this caravan is to help fast-track and scale up local governments’ access to the Fund, and because the PSF provides long-term finance specifically for local adaptation projects, it has the power to shape communities’ resilience and save lives,” DOF Chief of Staff and Undersecretary Maria Luwalhati Dorotan Tiuseco said.

She added that the DOF “is ready to doSet featured image the handholding to ensure that the funds go to the right projects.”

The PSF is the Philippines’ pioneering climate adaptation financing mechanism, enabling LGUs and local organizations to design and implement community-based initiatives that strengthen climate resilience.

To date, the PSF Board has approved 24 adaptation projects and project development grants nationwide totaling PHP 1.421 billion, demonstrating the Marcos Jr. administration’s commitment to empowering local communities to confront climate risks.

Co-hosted with the United Nations Development Programme’s Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities Against Disasters and Climate Change in the Philippines and supported by the Australian Government, the national caravan aims to fast-track LGUs’ access to the PSF by raising awareness, sharpening technical skills, and guiding them through the fund’s processes.

The caravan is being held across vulnerable municipalities and provinces in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, with the next leg scheduled for October and continuing until the first quarter of 2026.

The Mindanao caravan, held in Butuan City on Sept. 18–19, 2025, gathered over 55 participants from LGUs, national agencies, academe, the private sector, and civil society to forge collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

Participating LGUs included the municipalities of Kitcharao, Tubay, Las Nieves, and Santiago, and Butuan City in Agusan del Norte; the provincial governments of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur; the Municipality of Esperanza; the municipalities of Cateel, Governor Generoso, and Manay in Davao Oriental; and the provincial governments of Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands, Bukidnon, and Surigao del Sur.

The caravan featured seminars, technical consultations, and interactive workshops led by resource persons and subject matter experts.

As the country’s blueprint for building climate resilience and reducing risks, the National Adaptation Plan was discussed in detail to guide participants in integrating it into their local planning frameworks to produce science-based proposals for climate change adaptation projects.

Climate Change Commission Deputy Executive Director Rommel Cuenca highlighted how the NAP can be embedded into Comprehensive Land Use and Development Plans, Local Climate Change Action Plans, and Annual Investment Plans to strengthen the scientific basis of LGUs’ project proposals.

To help LGUs and accredited local or community organizations access funding for these proposals, the DOF Climate Finance Policy Group discussed the key features and end-to-end processes of the PSF.

Workshops also gave LGUs the opportunity to pitch initial proposals and receive live feedback from PSF Board members, including Yvonne Garcia Flores of the Gokongwei Group and Silvestre Barrameda Jr. of the National Resilience Council.

Other experts present included Vincent Cotoron of Caraga State University and Guiamel Alim of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society.

The Municipality of Kitcharao LGU shared its experiences in handling a PSF-funded project, offering participants insights into the process and guidance in developing or refining their own climate adaptation proposals.

The PSF Secretariat conducted a site visit and a courtesy meeting with Mayor Jenry E. Montante to affirm the fund’s support for the continued implementation of the project to enhance sustainable management of the community’s river ecosystem.

Also present were representatives from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority, Ministry of the Interior and Local Government, Mindanao Development Authority, Sibog Katawhan Alang sa Paglambo Inc., and regional offices of the Bureau of the Treasury and Bureau of Local Government Finance.

The PSF Board is composed of multi-sectoral representatives including the Secretary of Finance as chairperson, the vice chairperson of the Climate Change Commission, the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management, the Secretary of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, the chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women, and members from non-government agencies representing the business sector, non-government organizations, and the academe and scientific community.