Ex-VP Binay on unspent calamity funds: Do we have to wait for another pandemic?

MANILA, Philippines — For letting the calamity fund – currently standing at P5.14 billion – remains unreleased, former Vice President Jejomar Binay said Monday that the administration was bordering on “criminal neglect.”

Headline: “P25B in calamity funds unspent amid pandemic.” This is bordering on criminal neglect. The money should be disbursed soonest to aid jobless workers and hungry Filipinos. Ano pa ang hinihintay nila? Panibagong pandemya?

— Jejomar C. Binay (@JojoCBinay) May 3, 2021

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has reported that as of March 31, P5.14 billion in the 2020 National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund (NDRRMF), known as the calamity fund, is still untouched.

READ: P25 billion in calamity funds unspent amid pandemic

“The money should be disbursed soonest to aid jobless workers and hungry Filipinos,” said Binay in a Twitter post on Monday.

“Ano pa ang hinihintay nila? Panibagong pandemya?” he added.

(What are they waiting for? A new pandemic?)

According to the DBM, there are still P439.2 million in the calamity funds for 2020.

The largest sum of the unreleased money was the P4.69 billion under the Comprehensive Aid to Repair Earthquake Damage allocated to the Davao and SOCCSKSARGEN regions, which were hit by strong quakes in 2019.

Meanwhile, the entire P20 billion set aside under this year’s calamity fund was untouched as of end-March.

RELATED STORY

P25 billion in calamity funds unspent amid pandemic

abc