Lacson: Is P30B ‘a bit more or even not sufficient’ to help Taal eruption victims?

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson said Congress should first determine whether the P30-billion supplemental budget being pushed by President Rodrigo Duterte is “a bit more or even not sufficient” to help those affected by the Taal Volcano eruption.

“There is no saying that I am not supporting the expeditious passage of the budget measure. I’m only saying we have to find out if P30 billion is a bit more or even not sufficient to help the LGUs (local government units) affected by the Taal Volcano eruption,” Lacson said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We will have to find out how much is readily available in calamity funds of the national government…and the LGUs (local government units),” he added, referring to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund and the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF).

The senator explained that under Republic Act No. 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, LGUs are mandated to allocate at least 5 percent of their regular sources of income, including their internal revenue allotment (IRA), for their LDRRMF.

“If unexpended since there are no calamities, the cumulative LDRRMF are kept in a special fund to be used in situations like the Taal eruption,” he said.

The same provision of the applies to all the municipalities and barangays affected or not by calamities, he further noted.

According to Lacson, the province of Batangas has allocated P183 million in its 2019 annual budget alone for their Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (PDRRMF).

He added that it appears that 70 percent of this amount has been allocated for overhead expenses like maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), and only P55 million was for calamity.

“Counting five years backward from January 2020 when Taal erupted, as R.A. 10121 mandates that unexpended LDRRMF shall accrue to a special trust fund solely for the purpose of supporting disaster risk reduction and management activities of the LDRRMCs within the next five years, I can imagine they may still have sufficient funds,” Lacson pointed out.

“That, and to be augmented by the national government, should all be taken into account when we deliberate on the P30-billion supplemental budget being pushed by the President,” he added.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, on the other hand, welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for Congress to expedite the passage of a P30-billion supplemental budget for the augmentation of the government’s calamity fund for the Taal eruption.

“We thank the President for allotting (P30B) for Batangas. My proposal to create a (Taal Commission) is complimentary. It will serve as the institution in charge of rehab effort,” Recto told reporters in a message.

Recto had recently filed a bill proposing the creation of a commission that would focus on addressing the needs of communities affected by the Taal Volcano eruption.

The measure also seeks the creation of a Taal Volcano Rehabilitation and Development Fund, which would allocate P50 billion “to provide immediate relief to affected communities individuals and families; establish resettlement centers, homesites, and townsites for displaced families; provide livelihood and employment opportunities for local residents.”

Edited by MUF