DBM releases P1.58B funds for P10,000 shelter assistance to Odette victims

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Wednesday it has released more than P1 billion for the funding of the emergency shelter assistance to households affected by Typhoon Odette in December last year.

In a statement, the DBM said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman approved a special allotment amounting to P1,580,123,000.00.

The amount is for the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) P10,000 emergency shelter assistance to aid in the reconstruction of 153,410 totally damaged houses in Regions VI, VIII, X, and XIII.

The Budget department said the DSWD requested for the release of the P1.5 billion on August 2, 2022, which was received by the agency on August 3, 2022.

The corresponding Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) was released on August 8, 2022, it said.

“Bawat isa sa atin ay itinuturing ang tahanan bilang isang safe haven o ligtas na lugar. Ang pagkakaroon ng isang maayos na tahanan ay dalangin ng bawat Pilipino. Kaya kaisa po ang DBM sa pagtulong na masigurong bawat tahanang nasira ng bagyong Odette ay maiayos upang komportableng masilungan ng ating mga kababayan kasama ang kanilang pamilya at mga mahal sa buhay,” Pangandaman said.

(Each of us consider our homes as a safe haven or safe place. Having a decent home is the prayer of every Filipino. That is why the DBM is helping to ensure that each house destroyed by Odette will be reconstructed so that our fellow countrymen and their families and loved ones will have comfortable shelters.)

“Bagaman tumama ang bagyong Odette noong nakaraang taon, hindi po nakalimutan ng inyong pamahalaan ang mga nasalanta. Patuloy ang pagbibigay natin ng tulong sa mga nangangailangan para sa kanilang pagbangon muli,” she said.

(Although Typhoon Odette hit the country last year, the government did not forget those affected. The government continues to provide aid for those in need for their recovery.)

Typhoon Odette hit the country in December 2021, affecting families in Regions IV-B, VI, VII, VIII, X, and XIII.—AOL, GMA News