SEN. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Committee on Finance, yesterday said an allocation of P21 billion is set aside for disaster relief in the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025.
Poe said the amount is intended to reinforce the Executive’s calamity funds to bring fast and timely relief to communities affected by calamities.
The amount, she said, is P500 million higher than this year’s appropriation.
“The increase is for our people’s urgent and essential needs during calamities. If communities have the resources, they can make timely responses that can save lives,” Poe said in a statement.
She said the allocation will be used to provide immediate relief and rehabilitate affected communities.
“Itong budget na nilalaan natin ay hindi lang sana para maabutan ang mga biktima ng bagyo o iba pang kalamidad ng pagkain sa ilang araw. Pantulong din ito sa pagbangon at muling pagsisimula ng ating mga kababayang nasalanta
(The allocated budget is not only meant to assist victims of calamities. This will also help them recover and start a new life),” she said.
Aside from the disaster relief fund, Poe said the Senate is also eyeing an increase in the quick response fund (QRF) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which is at the forefront of every disaster
“Matindi itong hagupit sa ilan nating kababayan ng sunod sunod na bagyo. Inaayos nating mabuti ang budget para masiguro na sa panahon ng pangangailangan, mayroon tayong pinaghuhugutan ng tulong (The series of typhoons affected many of countrymen badly. We are doing everything we can to make sure we have funds when needed),” she said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Christopher Go called for a review of the government’s use of disaster funds amid the series of typhoons which hit the country the past weeks.
In a statement, Go said there is a need for an “immediate, transparent, and comprehensive” accounting of the disaster funds to ensure proper utilization and accountability.
He said disaster funds should be dedicated solely for calamity assistance purposes and should not be used as “ayudas” or financial assistance for affected families.
“Ang pondo para sa kalamidad ay para sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo at hindi dapat nagagamit sa ibang bagay. Naiintindihan ko na kailangan ng ayuda, pero may hiwalay naman pong pondo at mga programa dyan na inilaan para sa mga nangangailangan. Dapat malinaw ang paggamit ng disaster funds upang mabilis na makabangon ang mga apektadong komunidad (Calamity funds are intended for the victims of disasters and should not be used for any other purpose. I understand that people need financial assistance, but there are several programs and separate funds for that. Disaster funds should be used for its intended purposes to speed up the recovery of affected communities),” Go said, adding that there should be a stricter oversight to prevent the potential misuse of the funding.
