PNP may request funding assistance from NDRRMC—Legarda

Sen. Loren Legarda. PHOTO from Office of Sen. Loren Legarda

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has no allocation for disaster operations but they may request funding assistance from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in case of a calamity, Senator Loren Legarda said on Thursday.

READ: ‘Lando’ exposes PNP’s lack of funds for first responders

Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on finance, was reacting to PNP Director General Ricardo Marquez’s statement that the police have no budget for disaster operations when they have been on the frontlines of rescue and response operations in typhoon-affected areas in the past few days.

“The primary mandate of the PNP is ensuring peace and order. On the other hand, for disaster risk reduction and management, the DND (Department of National Defense) is the lead agency and works through the OCD (Office of Civil Defense) together with member agencies of the NDRRM Council,” the senator said in a text message.

This was the reason why, she said, the PNP has no quick response fund in the current 2015 General Appropriations Act and in the proposed budget for next year.

“There is no allocation for PNP on the quick response fund lodged in select agencies tasked to preposition goods before a disaster and to respond immediately once the disaster occurs,” Legarda said.

“However, the PNP may request for funding assistance in the case of a calamity under the NDRRM fund (also known as calamity fund) at any time, but release must be recommended by OCD and approved by Office of the President,” she further said.

Legarda said the PNP went through this process in 2014 and P262.898 million was actually released to them under the NDRRM fund. RAM