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The House of Representatives proposes an increase of at least P5 billion in the allocation of funds for catastrophes for the next year to allow the rehabilitation of areas affected by the recent typhoons, the leadership of the house said on Sunday.
In a statement, spokesman Lord Allan Velasco said that the proposal will be placed on the table during the deliberations of the bicameral conference committee on the proposed national budget of 4.5 billion pesos for next year.
The chamber passed its version of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) of 2021 before strong typhoons Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses wreaked havoc in parts of the country.
“Given the tremendous damage caused by these successive strong typhoons, it is imperative that we increase the calamity fund in next year’s spending plan. We have to help our people rebuild their lives and their communities, ”Velasco said.
Citing reports from agencies concerned, the total damage caused by three recent typhoons to infrastructure and agriculture now stands at 35 billion pesos.
However, the proposed catastrophe funds under the 2021 national budget are only P20 billion, a P4 billion increase from this year’s allocation of P16 billion.
Some P5 billion of this proposed amount will already go towards rebuilding the city of Marawi, while the remaining P6.25 billion will serve as an increase for rapid response funds from six agencies, including:
- Department of Education (P2 billion);
- Department of Social Welfare and Development (P1.25 billion);
- Department of Agriculture (1,000 million pesos);
- Department of Public Works and Highways (P1 billion)
- Department of Health (P500 million); Y
- Department of National Defense – Civil Defense Office (P500 million)
That’s a total of P11.25 billion that is specifically allocated, leaving a balance of P8.75 billion that President Duterte could use to help victims of calamities and other disasters. That balance is not even enough to rebuild Bicol, which was barely hit by Typhoon Rolly, ”Velasco said.
This clearly shows that the catastrophe funds for the coming year must be increased to provide additional resources for the rehabilitation of communities affected by the typhoon, he said.
“Alternatively, we can allocate the additional money in the budgets of the agencies involved in rebuilding and helping the victims of the typhoon,” he added.
Camarines Sur Representative Luis Raymund Villafuerte is calling on Congress to reserve more funds for catastrophes in the proposed national budget of P4.5 billion by 2021 to help the areas affected by Super Typhoon Rolly, particularly the Bicol region.
“I call on my fellow legislators to consider realigning for catastrophe funds a portion of the proposed GAB appropriations for programs and projects other than those for the response to COVID-19,” Villafuerte said, adding: “given the huge damage caused by the super typhoon Rolly in infrastructure, agriculture and businesses in CamSur and other provinces in Bicol and southern Luzon.”
“The executive and legislative branches must work together so that the provinces hit by the cyclone recover as soon as possible,” he added. —LBG, GMA News
