P100-B rehab plan for Taal proposed

MANILA, Philippines — With the eruption of Taal Volcano still imminent and destruction to life and livelihood probable, a solon on Thursday proposed the formulation of a rehabilitation plan that may need a funding of up to P100-billion.

Albay Congressman Joey Salceda said the House of Representatives must anticipate the formulation and legislation of the Taal Eruption Recovery Rehabilitation and Adaptation (TERRA) Plan which could possibly cost P60 billion to P100 billion.

“The plan shall be based on the principle of building back better forward which should go beyond restoring the area to its former state or condition but instead use this opportunity to leapfrog area development given its proximity to Metro Manila— the seat of economic power,” Salceda said in his aide-memoire.

Salceda said that Congress should “prepare to accommodate a request for supplementary appropriations if and when requested by the Executive.”

A reconstruction commission that will be the primary agency implementing TERRA Plan will also be created, Salceda added.

For long-term action, the lawmaker said that all-of-nation convergences for disaster resilience should be embedded into national policies such as the General Appropriations Act.

In his aide-memoire, Salceda also called for the immediate passage of the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) bill.

In his State of the Nation Address in 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte called on the Congress to speed up the creation of the DDR, saying that “natural disasters are poverty creators.”

Under the House’s version of the bill, DRR will be the primary agency “responsible, accountable, and liable for leading, managing, and organizing national efforts to prevent and reduce disaster risks; prepare for and respond to disasters; and recover, rehabilitate and build forward better after the destruction.”

Taal Volcano is still placed under Alert Level 4 which is characterized by “intense unrest, continuing seismic swarms, including harmonic tremor and/or low-frequency earthquakes”.