NDRRMC uses quick response fund for operations, says Pama

MANILA, Philippines—Clearing the muddled waters, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Wednesday said they have helped the victims of Super Typhoon “Yolanda,” though not in the way the Commission on Audit perceived.

NDRRMC Executive Director Alexander Pama said they have helped the victims of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” through the donated funds in their care.

Pama said that it’s true that “not a single centavo” from their quick response fund were used and that they use it to fund their operations before, during and after a calamity.

“We used the donated funds that were given to us to help the victims,” Pama said. “We use our QRF for support operations on disaster risk reduction and management activities.”

NDRRMC Executive Director Alexander Pama. FILE PHOTO

“To accuse us for not using the QRF on relief items is not exactly correct.”

He added that the NDRRMC gave P10,000 to each of the families of the 5,451 people killed during the onslaught of “Yolanda” in November of 2013 and P5,000 to the families of those who were injured.

As of posting time there are 6,300 people were killed due to “Yolanda.”

According to the report of COA, the Office for Civil Defense, which has the NDRRMC under it, has P692.77 million in QRF but the “Yolanda” victims did not receive “a single centavo.”

“Our QRF is used for non-food items like flash flights, ropes, equipment and such,” Pama said. “It can be used to preposition equipment before a disaster strikes.”

He cleared the perception that they have not given any food items to the victims after “Yolanda” and that is the job of the Department of Social Welfare and Development to do such.

In the issue of food items found on her storage facilities, Pama said that it was for their personnel who were sent to different areas.

“We can’t let our staff get hungry couldn’t we?” Pama said.

Pama also admitted that there have been delays in the distribution of the monetary funds to the victims as they adhere to “strict policies” before handing out cash donations.

Documents are needed to prove that a person has indeed died or got wounded due to “Yolanda” and that it’s what the NDRRMC are looking for before handing out help.

“These are funds donated to us to give to the victims, we just can’t hand it out immediately,” Pama said.

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