TEMPORARY HOUSING Internally displaced families live in a transitory shelter site in Barangay Boganga, Marawi City. —DIVINA M. SUSON
With 11 months before funds allocated in 2019 expire, P3.405 billion in projects to rehabilitate war-torn Marawi City have been sought for approval by the Office of the President and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
The latest Department of Budget and Management (DBM) data showed that as of January, a total of P3.437 billion remain unreleased out of the P3.5-billion Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program (MRRRP) under the 2019 national budget’s continuing appropriations for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF).
Last year, P406.5 million in NDRRMF allocation for MRRRP under the 2018 budget lapsed their two-year validity due to slow approval of projects.
As for the 2019 NDRRMF, only P62.9 million were released last year for MRRRP to cover construction of two infrastructure projects in the most affected area of the five-month fighting between government forces and Islamic State supporters in 2017.
Last year’s 2019 NDRRMF releases to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for MRRRP included P52.6 million to build an integrated school, and P10.4 million for the central fire station.
Of the remaining balance in the 2019 Marawi funds, P80.3 million intended for release to the DPWH were already awaiting the Office of the President’s approval.
Pending approval
The bulk or P3.263 trillion in capital outlay projects were pending the go-signal from the defense secretary and the OCD administrator.
Pending the defense secretary and the civil defense administrator’s approval and signature were intended releases of P1.9 billion for the National Housing Authority; P766.5 million for the Local Water Utilities Administration; P558.2 million for the local government of Marawi City; P20.9 billion for Mindanao State University; P3.3 million for the Department of Education; and P2.9 million for the Philippine Ports Authority.
Another P61.5 million allotted for a project to be implemented by the Department of the Interior and Local Government were to undergo processing by the OCD.
As such, only P32.5 million in 2019 Marawi funds remain without a specific project yet.
All NDRRMF releases for the MRRRP were subject for final approval by President Duterte upon recommendation of the interagency National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
DBM data showed that another P3.5 billion had been allotted in the 2020 national budget’s NDRRMF for MRRRP.
So far, P480.2 million were earmarked under the 2020 funds for Marawi, including P261.9 million for the DPWH, P155.8 million for the state-run Social Housing Finance Corp. and P62.6 million for the Department of Agriculture.
77,170 families displaced
Last week, National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro said the Marawi City conflict three years ago displaced 77,170 families.
“We have just marked the closing of the so-called ‘tent city’ in Marawi last Feb. 8, as we relocated the last 64 displaced families to decent transition shelters. At present, the government continues the rebuilding of their damaged city,”Navarro told the 58th session of the Commission for Social Development at the United Nations headquarters in New York last Feb. 11.