Some P1.5 billion from the P16-billion budget of the Department of Budget and Management for disaster response was released for areas severely devastated by recent typhoons that in Luzon.
DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya in a “Laging Handa” news briefing Saturday said the funds were released after President Duterte placed Luzon under a state of calamity.
With Luzon under the state of calamity, Malaya noted that the SARO (Special Allotment Release Order) and NCA (Notice of Cash Allocation) amounting to P1.5 billion were released to the local government units (LGUs) badly-hit by the consecutive typhoons.
The President had earlier placed Luzon under a state of calamity after consecutive storms “Quinta,” “Rolly,” “Siony,” and “Ulysses” struck, causing heavy flooding.
"Puwede sila kumuha sa pondo ng National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Kailangan lang nila gumawa ng request sa Office of Civil Defense (OCD) para makapag-tap sa pondong ito (They can secure funds from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council. They just need to make a request to the Office of Civil Defense to tap these funds),’’ Malaya said.