Congress allots P14B for calamities in budget
MANILA, Philippines—As parts of the country reeled from the aftermath of Typhoon “Ruby,’’ the Senate and House of Representatives have allotted P14 billion for calamities in the proposed P2.606-trillion 2015 national budget.
The P14-billion calamity fund or the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council fund is on top of the total quick response funds allotted to various government agencies, Sen. Francis Escudero said on Friday.
Senator Francis Escudero. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
“If we don’t get hit by a ‘Yolanda’-like storm, it should be enough,’’ he said at a press forum, referring to the supertyphoon that devastated Eastern Visayas and left more than 6,300 dead and missing in November 2013.
This year’s budget carried a similar P14-billion calamity fund, and so far, it seemed sufficient because Malacañang did not ask for augmentation, said the chair of the finance committee.
Ratify their report
The Senate and House, which agreed on a version of the budget at Wednesday’s bicameral conference committee, are set to ratify their bicameral report next week, giving President Aquino ample time to sign the budget measure before year-end.
After battering Visayas and southern Luzon, Ruby left at least 20 dead and damaged more than P2 billion worth of crops and infrastructure.
The bicameral version of the 2015 budget included P72 billion realignments, including P40 billion from unprogrammed funds that could only be tapped if revenue collection exceeds the target.
The P72 billion originally included the P53.9-billion planned government takeover-buyout of glitch-ridden Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3, which ferries hundreds of thousands of commuters every day along Edsa.
“We scrapped it (P53.9 billion buyout) because not a single peso would improve the MRT 3 and the condition of commuters,’’ said Escudero, who also chaired the Senate panel in the bicameral conference.
Of the original amount, the bicameral panel only retained P7.4 billion for MRT 3 rehabilitation, P6.520 billion for the payment of the taxes of MRT 3’s contracted loans, and P4.4 billion for the equity value buyout of MRT Corp.
Rehabilitation fund
It apportioned P20 billion for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of areas hit by Yolanda and other storms, P4.3 billion for Trade Remedies Fund; and P10.6 billion share of the Department of Health in the incremental revenue from the excise tax, among others.
“No individual lawmaker made a last-minute request because the store was already closed,” Escudero said when asked about last-minute insertions.
The panel also defined savings in compliance with the Supreme Court rulings on the priority development assistance fund or pork barrel and the disbursement acceleration program.
It referred to savings as portions or balances of any released appropriations that have not been obligated arising from the discontinuance of an ongoing program, activity or project; noncommencement of any of these due to calamities; decreased cost of project and the difference between the approved budget and awarded price of a project.
It also defined the use of savings and augmentation.
The panel said the President, Senate President, House Speaker, Chief Justice and heads of constitutional commissions enjoying fiscal autonomy, and Ombudsman are authorized to use savings in their budgets to augment deficiencies in the current year.
But they should furnish the Senate and the House semestral and annual reports on the savings generated, their sources, and existing programs that are augmented.
