House to push for P5-B increase in calamity funds under 2021 budget

The House of Representatives is proposing an increase of at least P5 billion in the calamity fund allocation for next year to allow areas affected by recent typhoons to rehabilitate, the chamber's leadership said Sunday.

In a statement, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the proposal will be placed on the table during the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for next year.

The chamber approved its version of the 2021 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) before strong Typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses wreaked havoc in some parts of the country.

“Given the tremendous damage caused by these successive strong typhoons, it is imperative that we augment 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 concerned agencies, the total damage caused by the three recent typhoons to infrastructure and agriculture now amounts to P35 billion.

The proposed calamity funds under the 2021 national budget, however, is only at P20 billion, up by P4 billion from this year's allocation of P16 billion.

Some P5 billion of this proposed amount will already go to the Marawi City reconstruction, while the remaining P6.25 billion will serve as augmentation for the quick response funds of six agencies, including: 

• Department of Education (P2 billion);
• Department of Social Welfare and Development (P1.25 billion);
• Department of Agriculture (P1 billion);
• Department of Public Works and Highways (P1 billion)
• Department of Health (P500 million); and
• Department of National Defense - Office of Civil Defense (P500 million)

“That’s a total of P11.25 billion that is specifically appropriated, leaving a balance of P8.75 billion President Duterte could use to help victims of calamities and other disasters. That balance is not even enough to rebuild Bicol, which was hardly hit by Typhoon Rolly,” Velasco said.

This clearly shows that the calamity funds for next year need to be increased to provide additional resources for the rehabilitation of typhoon-hit communities, he said.

“Alternatively, we can allocate the additional money in the budgets of the agencies involved in reconstruction and helping typhoon victims,” he added.

Camarines Sur Representative Luis Raymund Villafuerte is appealing to Congress to set aside a bigger amount of calamity funds in the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021 to aid areas hit by Super Typhoon Rolly particularly the Bicol region.

“I am appealing to my fellow lawmakers to look into possibly realigning for calamity funds  a portion of proposed GAB allocations for  programs and projects other than those intended for COVID-19 response,” said Villafuerte, adding, “given the great damage wrought by super typhoon Rolly on infrastructure, agriculture and business in CamSur and other provinces in Bicol and Southern Luzon.”

“The executive and legislative branches need to work together in getting the cyclone-battered provinces back on their feet at the soonest time possible,” he added. —LBG, GMA News