Lacson traces where P4-B cut from proposed 2020 calamity fund went

Senator Panfilo Lacson said Friday he was tracing where the P4 billion slashed from the proposed P20 billion calamity fund or National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management fund for this year had gone to instead.

“For 2020 ang nakasaad sa Senate version, P20 billion. Paglabas sa bicam (bicameral conference committee report), naging P16 billion, nabawasan ng P4 billion. Tine-trace ko ngayon saan napunta ang P4 billion bakit binawasan sa bicam,” Lacson told Dobol B sa News TV.

He, however, conceded that what he was attempting was difficult as there were instances when only the chairmen of the Senate finance committee, Juan Edgardo Angara, and House appropriations committee, Isidro Ungab, were the ones discussing the amendments.

“‘Yan ang mahirap i-trace kasi kapag bicam nag-uusap lang ang dalawang chairmen. Tapos mag-pool sila, magbabawas kung saan-saan, tapos ito ngayon kung saan-saan napunta,” he said.

Lacson also explained that the calamity fund had a life span of five years.

“Kapag hindi nagamit, ang unexpended napupunta sa special fund na nakalagak din, nakatuon para sa mga calamities and disasters. After five years kapag hindi pa rin nagamit ibabalik ito sa National Treasury,” he said.

P11-B carried over

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, a member of the Senate bicam panel, said the calamity fund for 2020 was cut because of the unused 2019 calamity fund.

Thus, the cut did not mean that the calamity fund for 2020 would be short as the unused 2019 allocation, amounting to P11 billion, will be carried over and added to this year’s fund.

“Nabawasan ‘yan dahil noong huling taon hindi naman nagamit, that’s number one. Two, ‘yung 2019 na hindi nagamit, inilagay sa 2020 so hindi kumpleto ang picture na nabawasan ito ng P4 billion dahil nadagdagan naman dahil sa 2019 na budget,” Gatchalian said in a separate interview.

“Hindi siya kapos dahil yung 2019 na hindi nagamit, inilagay naman sa 2020,” he added.

Furthermore, since the approval and signing of the 2019 budget was delayed by five months, the amount was untouched and in the remaining seven months of the year, no major disaster hit the country so the fund was again not used in 2019.

“The leftover available balance, as of November 30, 2019, was P 11,038,987,753. During the discussion, I remember itong calamity fund natin for 2020 binawasan dahil nga yung 2019 hindi nagamit at kung matatandaan natin nag pass ng resolution ang Congress para i-extend yung validity. So hindi tama na nabawasan kasi kapag inipon-ipon mo yun, sobra-sobra pa yun,” he further said.

Angara himself explained that the unutilized 2019 funds were a consideration when they were discussing the 2020 budget.

“As of November 30 (2019), there was still 700 billion of unutilized funds because of the late passage of the 2019 budget and of calamity fund almost P7 billion unutilized also. Billions lodged in various agencies were not used so that was a consideration in setting 2020 levels,” he said.

“Incidentally, much of those funds are still available and if declared by the executive as savings, can be spent to help the victims of the eruption and other calamities,” he added.

Gatchalian earlier said President Rodrigo Duterte could always ask Congress to pass a supplemental budget to augment the funds needed to assist the people affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano.

Analysts earlier calculated that the eruption could cause up to P35 billion in damage.

The Department of Agriculture earlier said the damage to agriculture caused by the eruption of the Taal Volcano had reached P577.39 million.

An estimated 2,772 hectares had been affected by the eruption, covering commodities such as rice, corn, coffee, cacao, banana, and high-value crops and 1,967 animal heads.

The provinces of Batangas and Cavite had been placed under states of calamity because of the eruption. Alert Level 4 has been raised over the volcano signifying that a hazardous eruption was imminent. — DVM, GMA News