MANILA, Philippines?The Senate finance committee has unanimously approved the proposed P12 billion supplemental budget for calamity victims.

Senator Edgardo Angara, chairman of the committee, said the proposal would be transmitted to the plenary for approval probably this Tuesday night. A counterpart measure was passed by the House of Representatives late Monday night.

?The committee unanimously endorsed the resolution to appropriate P12 billion for emergency relief and rehabilitation of victims of typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng and Frank,? Angara said at a press conference.

The money , he said, would be sourced from the government?s share on the Malampaya proceeds.

?What I?ve been told is that this will come particularly from the proceeds of Malampaya share of the national government. The total amount there is P14 billon so they will get P12 billion out of the P14 billion from the Malampaya proceeds,? said the senator.

But Angara said the extent of loss of lives and damage to property and infrastructure was more than P12 billion, saying the damage in agriculture and fisheries alone was estimated to be P18 billion and another P1.5 billion initial estimate for public roads, bridges, waterways and dikes.

?The number of people affected is about one million and 200 families and numbering about close to 7 million Filipinos. So the scale and scope of the loss to lives and properties, and infrastructure is probably the biggest so far to have been inflicted on our nation,? he said.

The emergency appropriation of P12 billion, he said, would only ?partially relief the suffering and mitigate the damage? wrought by the typhoons.

?More I believe will be needed for the ultimate rehabilitation and reconstruction phase,? he said.