P4.4B in Marawi funds still unreleased

With only two months left before their validity expires, P4.4 billion in funds allocated for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi City have remained unreleased as of October.

The latest Department of Budget and Management (DBM) data showed that at the end of October, only P740.4 million out of the P5.1 billion allotment for the Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program (MRRRP) under the 2018 National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) have been released.

P4.2B for MRRRP

To date, P244.9 million was released to the Department of Health; P213.4 million to the National Electrification Administration; P133 million to the Department of the Interior and Local Government; P67.7 million to the Department of National Defense; P52.3 million to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; P26.9 million to the Presidential Communications Operations Office; and P2.3 million to the National Youth Commission.

Of the remaining available balance amounting to P4.4 billion, P4.2 billion had already been earmarked for MRRRP programs and projects.

Under the 2019 NDRRMF, all P3.5 billion in funds for the MRRRP have yet to be released.