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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Recto pushes for creation of 'Taal Commission' to help recovery, rehabilitation of eruption-affected communities 

Recto pushes for creation of 'Taal Commission' to help recovery, rehabilitation of eruption-affected communities 

Published Jan 18, 2020 12:00 am

By Vanne Terrazola

 

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto has proposed the creation of a government commission that would assist and handle the rehabilitation of communities affected by the recent eruption of Taal Volcano.

Senate Minority Leader Ralph G. Recto (Manila Bulletin) Senator Ralph G. Recto (Manila Bulletin)

 

Recto on Saturday said he will file a bill in the Upper Chamber seeking to establish a "Taal Commission" that would manage all programs relating to the recovery and rehabilitation of the families displaced by Taal Volcano's unrest.

 

The government body, he said, shall be similar to the defunct Mount Pinatubo Commission (MPC) formed to assist the communities adversely affected and destroyed by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in Pampanga in 1991.

 

"We are working on the bill now. We are looking at Pinatubo Commission, pag-aralang mabuti (we should study this carefully). Ngayon, ang Pampanga nakatayo na, at ganoon din ang gagawin natin dito sa Taal (Now Pampanga is back on its feet, and we will do the same here in Taal)," Recto said in an interview over radio DWIZ.

 

Recto said that as in the MPC, the creation of a Taal Commission would ensure that funds will be allocated to help the displaced Batangas and Cavite residents get back on their feet. Lawmakers will discuss the amount needed for the relief and rehabilitation of communities affected by Taal.

 

The senator, who hails from Batangas, surmised that the rehabilitation of the affected communities in southern Luzon will take a long time.

 

Republic Act No. 7637 signed in September 1992 formed the MPC and appropriated P10 billion for aid, relief, rehabilitation, and livelihood services as well as infrastructure support for the victims of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The law gave the MPC an initial term of six years. A presidential proclamation extended its term for another  two years until Dec. 31, 2000. 

 

Meanwhile, Recto believed that the national government is doing its job in responding and providing assistance to the affected residents.

 

He also downplayed the reported lack of calamity funds for this year, saying "there are still a lot of resources" from some P700 billion of unutilized funds from the national government's 2019 budget that could be tapped to respond to Taal's eruption. He said private sectors and individuals are also doing their part to contribute to relief efforts. 

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