DBM OKs P1.625B for DSWD, DPWH calamity funds to aid typhoon, quake victims

The Department of Budget and Management on Friday announced it released a total of 1.625 billion to replenish the Quick Response Funds of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Public Works and Highways to speed up aid and recovery efforts for the victims of recent weather disturbances and the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu province.

“Our government is prepared. We have standby funds that can be tapped immediately to deliver assistance to those affected. In moments like this, government aid must never be delayed,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.

“Ang gusto po ng Pangulong BBM, lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno ay gumalaw nang mabilis para mabigyan ng agarang tulong ang mga biktima ng lindol sa lalawigan ng Cebu. Whole-of-government approach po ito— mula sa paglalabas ng pondo, pag-deliver ng emergency service, at pagsasagawa ng ground zero assessment,” Pangandaman said.

(The President wants all agencies of the government to work to give immediate aid to the victims of the earthquake in Cebu province. This is a whole-of-government approach— from release of funds, delivery of emergency service, and conduct of ground zero assessment.)

For the DSWD, the Budget Department has released a total of P625 million to replenish their Fiscal Year 2025 QRF. 

The amount is intended for the prepositioning of relief resources in DSWD warehouses and provision of Emergency Cash Transfer for disaster-affected families in areas declared under a state of calamity.

The DBM also released a total of P1 billion to the DPWH to cover the third replenishment of its built-in QRF.

The said amounts shall be used for reconstruction and rehabilitation programs, activities, or projects, including the pre-positioning of goods and equipment in communities or areas stricken by calamities, which occurred in the last quarter of the immediately preceding year and those occurring during the current year.

The QRF serves as a stand-by fund for relief and recovery programs in order for the situation and living conditions of people in communities or areas stricken by disasters, calamities, epidemics, or complex emergencies may be normalized as quickly as possible. 

Concerned agencies may request replenishment from the DBM when the balance of the QRF has reached 50%.

“As of October 2, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) still has P5.3 billion available that can be used for broader rehabilitation efforts and the repair of infrastructure damaged by the earthquake,” Pangandaman said.

Meanwhile, in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to provide immediate assistance to communities hit by the recent earthquake, the DBM is also releasing a total of P375 million through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF). 

This includes P150 million for the entire Province of Cebu, and P75 million each for the municipalities of San Remigio, Bogo City, and Medellin.

An additional P50 million shall be released to the Municipality of Borbon.

With the said fund augmentations, the total DBM allocation now stands at P425 million under the LGSF, aimed at accelerating relief operations and jumpstarting rehabilitation efforts in the areas most severely affected by the earthquake. —AOL, GMA Integrated News