1 week Ago By N/A (Amenah F. Pangandaman, DBM Secretary)
BEYOND BUDGET Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. While in Singapore for the FinTech Festival last Nov. 7, I was honored to pay a courtesy call to Singapore’s minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Honorable Grace Fu Hai Yien, where I expressed gratitude for Singapore’s humanitarian assistance to our kababayans affected by Typhoon Kristine.
I also had the opportunity to learn the exemplary practices of the office of the Government Chief Sustainability Officer (GCSO) under her Ministry, as we explored collaborative work for long-term resilience and progress. Confronting climate change Our nation’s geographic location exposes us to climate change risks. In fact, based on the World Risk Index, the Philippines remains the most at-risk country, with a score of 46.
91 this year, up from 46.86 last year. After experiencing El Niño, our country was recently battered by six strong typhoons.
These include Typhoons Nika, Ofel, and Pepito, which, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, affected an estimated 371,946 families in six regions as of Nov. 18. These left 11 cities/municipalities under a state of calamity, and caused significant damage to infrastructure and agriculture.
Beyond these immediate impacts, disasters exacerbate existing socio-economic inequalities, making climate-resilient planning a priority and an imperative. As President Bongbong Marcos stated in his SONA, “Precisely because of our inherent vulnerability, we are proactive advocates for heightened climate responsibility and justice on the global stage.” PH’s sustainability initiatives The government has implemented measures to integrate sustainability into resource allocation.
One is Climate Change Expenditure Tagging which tracks government agencies’ climate change spending. Data reveal an increasing climate-responsive expenditure, with an average growth rate of 32.5 percent since its inception in 2015.
For 2025, this is expected to increase by 123 percent, from ₱457.4 billion to ₱1.020 trillion, representing 16.
1 percent of the national budget. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ 11-Point Sustainability Agenda fosters sustainable finance by mobilizing green investments and coordinating policies to achieve economic growth aligned with environmental objectives. Meanwhile, the New Government Procurement Act provides sustainability criteria by mandating agencies to consider environmental impact, resource efficiency, and life-cycle costs in procurement decisions.
Despite these efforts, sustainability initiatives remain fragmented across agencies. This is reflected in the 2024 Environmental Performance Index, which provides a summary of the state of sustainability around the world, as the Philippines ranks 168th out of 180 countries. Learnings from Singapore During the meeting with Minister Fu, I learned about Singapore’s structured approach to sustainability governance.
Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 addresses key priorities such as water security, climate resilience, and environmental protection, using a cradle-to-grave resource management strategy. Singapore’s Green Mark certification promotes sustainable building practices. Sustainability considerations are integrated in government funding and procurement decisions to ensure alignment with national objectives.
The country also harmonizes its sustainability standards with international frameworks and uses strategic branding to engage stakeholders. What stands out in Singapore’s model is the GCSO role, a full-time position embedded within the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment that ensures cross-agency coordination and centralizes efforts to achieve the country’s sustainability goals. Global sustainability initiatives Aside from Singapore, the United States leverages its Federal CSO to lead sustainability efforts across agencies, overseeing extensive federal operations to ensure adherence to sustainability and climate resilience goals.
Each agency designates a CSO to implement these policies. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice’s Climate Change and Sustainability Unit led by a unit director CSO plays a significant part in its government’s Net Zero Initiative. The country’s roadmap to net zero emissions allows the ministry and other departments to choose their approach to managing their buildings’ energy consumption, travel and procurement policies, and other measures.
Piloting sustainability I trust that Singapore’s structured GCSO model and other global initiatives can provide crucial insights in the crafting of a comprehensive roadmap for our country. At the DBM, we are pioneering a CSO role to lead sustainability initiatives within the department. As the central budgeting agency, I believe that DBM is strategically positioned to lead the government’s sustainable development initiatives.
By piloting a CSO role, we aim to integrate sustainability into our operations and influence resource allocation to support sustainable policies. A dedicated sustainability committee will support the CSO and oversee efforts at improving environmental, social, and economic outcomes through a sustainability lens. It will implement sustainable procurement practices, promote energy-efficient operations, and ensure resource conservation.
We, in close coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Climate Change Commission, envision to establish CSOs across the government to foster a whole-of-government approach, addressing fragmented efforts and creating cohesive long-term strategies aligned with the country’s national and global commitments. This would position the government as a role model for sustainability and enhance disaster resilience by integrating climate risk assessments into planning and investment decisions. Beyond budget, institutionalizing sustainability governance can transform our nation’s vulnerabilities into strengths — addressing immediate climate challenges, and laying the foundation for a thriving, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive Bagong Pilipinas that ensures a legacy of environmental stewardship, equity, and prosperity for future generations.
Hence, a GCSO is more than a response to today’s crises but a beacon of hope for tomorrow's challenges. (Amenah F. Pangandaman is the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management.
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