2015 supplemental budget amended to realign more funds for Yolanda victims

Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab. Photo from congress.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines – The proposed P22.5 billion supplemental budget for 2015 was amended to realign more funds for the emergency shelter assistance to victims of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” and for various infrastructure projects.

In its report, the appropriations committee chaired by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab recommended to the floor the realignment of some P715.36 million originally intended for the enterprise information system plan of the Supreme Court. The latter was consequently ordered deleted from the budget after it was included in the bicameral version of the 2015 national budget.

The funds for the emergency shelter assistance for Yolanda victims under the Department of Social Welfare and Development then increased to P2.161 billion from P1.5 billion.  Yolanda is the world’s strongest typhoon to hit land that claimed over 6,000 lives.

Also, the budget for the obligations arising from the implemented infrastructure projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways also went up to P1.9 billion from P1.849 billion.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the 2015 supplemental budget is expected to be passed on Monday, December 15. The lower chamber is currently interpellating on the floor about the supplemental budget.

After being amended, still a bulk or P10.16 billion of the budget is intended for Yolanda victims. Besides the emergency shelter assistance, at least P7.999 billion is earmarked for the construction of the permanent housing.

The next biggest allotment is P2.8 billion for the operational transformation plan of the Philippine National Police, under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). This is followed by the P1.9 billion allotment for the upgrading of the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the amended P1.9 billion for the obligations arising from implemented infrastructure projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The rest of the supplemental budget is broken down as follows:

P977.69 million – Light Rail Transit line 1 and 2 rehabilitation
P957.163 million – Metro Rail Transit 3 rehabilitation and capacity extension
P803.380 million – Additional capital outlay and maintenance and other operating expenses for implementation of the Treasury single account
P350 million – Construction of the New Bohol Provincial Capitol to replace condemned building
P340.345 million – Coconut Scale Insect Emergency Action Plan
P300 million – Digi Efund-ICT Hardware for Government
P286.702 million – Implementation of the North Triangle Relocation Project
P250 million – Completion of the Legislative Library and Archives Building/Congressional E-Library
P240 million – Completion of the Development Assistance to Quezon province
P210 million – Retrofitting of the Presidential Management Staff Office Building
P199.167 million –  Transition Investment Support Plan for the ARMM Procurement of 33 firetrucks
P196.385 million – Construction of fishport, lighthouses and seawalls
P178 million – Closure of the San Mateo Sanitary Landfill
P117 million – Construction of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport VIP Lounge Building
P100.407 million – Budgetary shortfall for transaction fees and charges as a result of the implementation of the treasury single account
P40 million – Provision of rent of office space during pendency of construction of Philippine Institute for Development Studies new building
P32.6 million – Installation of the 10 megavolt amperes substation in Sto. Domingo, Albay
P32.224 million – Phase 2 of the renovation of the Department of Finance-Office of Secretary property
P11.176 million – Hiring of new 294 former rebels as forest guards under the National Greening Program
P5.2 million – Transfer of Quezon city Prosecutors and Public Attorney’s Office

The Department of Budget and Management  initially asked the House of Representatives for P23.34 billion in supplemental budget but this was slashed to P22 billion after P1.3 billion additional funds for the hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit was slashed.

The supplemental budget will also fund projects that were stalled after the Supreme Court struck down the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and some practices under the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).