The Marcos administration will continue pursuing a whole-of-nation approach in mitigating climate risks, committing the Philippines to be at the forefront of global climate action, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
At a recent G20 high-level breakfast discussion on climate change mitigation, Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the Philippines, as one of the countries at highest risk for climate-related disasters, is determined to be a world leader in this fight against the crisis.
Diokno told the G20 that the government is working together with the international community, such as its ongoing partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to quicken the country’s transition from coal to clean energy.
“We will deal with the impact of climate change while bringing down energy costs through developing clean and renewable energy sources, such as hydro, geothermal, wind, and solar power,” Diokno added.
The ADB has partnered with the Philippines and Indonesia in rolling out the Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) project, which aims to accelerate the transition of countries in Southeast Asia from coal to green energy.
The ETM facility was announced and launched at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in October last year.
Diokno also told the G20 that, considering the country’s vulnerability in climate-related disasters, the government had made climate finance a strategic policy priority.
“Our climate finance initiatives will promote a sustainable orchestration of grants, investments, and subsidies,” Diokno said.
Currently, the government is mobilizing climate finance through the Green Force, an interagency task force co-led by the DOF and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
The task force is in charge of implementing the Philippine Sustainable Finance Roadmap (PSFR), with the goal of bridging policy and regulatory gaps in promoting sustainable investments.
Diokno said the Philippines has drawn in strong support from multilateral partners and investors for its climate finance initiatives.
He shared that the Philippines is one of the pioneers in climate policy development financing with the signing of the $250 million policy-based loan for the Climate Change Action Program, Subprogram 1 (CCAP1) with the ADB last June.
CCAP1 was the ADB’s first-ever climate change policy-based loan.
He also shared that the Philippines recently issued its first-ever sustainability global bonds and sustainability samurai bonds, which were all met with strong demand despite volatility in the global markets.
In March 2022, the Philippines successfully tapped the international capital markets with the country’s offering of $2.25 billion triple tranche five-year, 10.5-year, and 25-year Global Bonds.
The transaction was the first triple tranche US dollar offering from the Philippines.The 25-year Global Bonds worth $1 billion were issued under the government’s Sustainable Finance Framework and marks the country’s debut Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Global Bonds offering.
This was followed in April 2022 by the country’s successful return to the Samurai market with its 70.1 billion Japanese year ($600 million) offering of multi-tranche five-year, seven-year, 10-year, and 20-year Sustainability bonds with an ESG label across all four tranches.
This is the first-ever ASEAN Sustainability bond transaction issued by the country in the Samurai bond market.
Proceeds from the sustainability bonds will help fund the government’s general budget and finance/refinance assets in line with the Philippines’ Sustainable Finance Framework.
Diokno, however, recognized that while there is a shift to more sustainable activities domestically, the Philippines cannot solve climate change alone and without conscientious and orchestrated actions by all nations.
“The Philippines, therefore, commits to be at the forefront of the global movement for climate justice. We stand in solidarity with all nations in calling for concrete and equitable climate action,” he said.
The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum that works to address global economic issues, including international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.
It is composed of 19 countries plus the European Union, which, together, comprises the world’s largest economies, accounting for around 60 percent of the world’s population, 80 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP), and 75 to 80 percent of international trade.
Last Saturday, July 1, finance ministers and central bank governors from the group’s member countries discussed climate-related policy levers to enable the transition towards greener economies.
The Philippines is not part of the G20 but was invited to participate as a guest nation by the Government of Indonesia to share an overview of the country’s climate policy agenda. Indonesia is the current chair and president of the group.