Former vice president Jejomar Binay on Saturday called on the national government to quickly augment the calamity funds of local government units (LGUs) in areas ravaged by Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Ulysses.
“National government should immediately act to augment the calamity funds of LGUs. Almost depleted na sila dahil sa ayuda na ibinigay noong lockdown at dahil sa mga bagyo (The funds are almost depleted because of the aid they extended during the lockdown and the typhoons),” Binay, the former mayor of Makati City, said.
“Their resources and manpower have been stretched to the limits,” he continued.
While the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it will release P1.9 billion to the affected areas, Binay said the amount will be disbursed to national government agencies.
As such, Binay said the remaining balance of P1.7 billion from the remaining P3.6 billion National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) may not be enough considering the extent of damage caused by the typhoons throughout Luzon.
“Dapat bigyan agad ng ayuda ang mga nagbibigay ng ayuda. Pagod na sila, pero tuloy pa rin ang kanilang serbisyo (The national government should give immediate aid to those who provide aid. They are tired and yet they continue to serve),” he stressed.
It would be difficult for these LGUs, whose resources are already stretched to almost breaking point, to endure the expected arrival of more typhoons, the former vice president pointed out.
Their problems, he said, are aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the high risk of infection in evacuation centers and in communities.
Binay added that the national government should work to facilitate the release of these much-needed funds directly to the LGUs, and avoid the bureaucratic bottleneck that delayed the release of funds to government agencies dealing with the pandemic.
“The unconscionable delays in the release of the Bayanihan 2 funds should not be repeated in dispensing funding assistance to these already-distressed LGUs,” he said.
The DBM released only P3.545 billion of the P140-billion emergency pandemic response under Bayanihan 2.
Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Ulysses ravaged a large portion of Luzon. The typhoons hit Bicol, CALABARZON, cutting across Metro Manila and Central Luzon, up to Cagayan and Isabela.