Solon from quake-hit Surigao del Sur to seek SOS from Speaker
At A Glance
- Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel will seek assistance from the House leadership in terms of funds that will be used for the rehabilitation of his earthquake-stricken province.
Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel (Facebook)
Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel will seek assistance from the House leadership in terms of funds that will be used for the rehabilitation of his earthquake-stricken province.
This was confirmed by the veteran lawmaker Sunday, Dec. 3, or the day after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook Surigao del Sur.
"I will try to ask Speaker [Martin Romualdez] kasi bicam na (because the bicam meetings are ongoing," Pimentel said.
Pimentel was referring to the Bicameral Conference Committee meetings on the P5.768-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or proposed national budget for 2024.
A possible source of rehab funds for the damage caused by the earthquake are the realignments in the GAB.
There are a total of P194.5 billion realignments under the proposed spending plan next year. These include the P1.23 billion worth of confidential funds that underwent reallocation.
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https://mb.com.ph/2023/11/4/p194-5-b-worth-of-realignments-in-2024-national-budget-romualdez
Speaking of the damage caused by the tremblor, Pimentel said his office is still assessing it, although he did describe it as "extensive".
Photos on Facebook posted by Mindanao-based groups showed collapsed shanties and a covered court.
As for casualties, Pimentel said, "We are still checking."
The Senate hosted the first day of the 2024 GAB bicam meetings last Thursday. Composed of House members and senators, the bicam is tasked to finalize the national budget before it can be signed by the President.