Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

September left our nation reeling with Typhoons Mirasol, Nando, and Opong. On the last day of the month, disaster struck as a magnitude 6.9 quake shook Cebu and nearby provinces.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), as of Oct. 3, this series of weather disturbances affected more than 1.209 million families and almost 4.6 million persons, leaving 107 areas in a state of calamity, with an estimated damage to infrastructure at more than ₱1.84 billion, and to agriculture at more than ₱2.31 billion. Meanwhile, as of Oct. 5, the earthquake affected 128,464 families, or 455,631 persons, leaving 71 dead and 559 injured. Damaged houses numbered 18,154, while damaged infrastructure reached 713. The devastation was widespread, it left 53 cities and municipalities under a State of Calamity.

On behalf of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), I would like to extend our deepest condolences and prayers to the families who lost loved ones. And, to all who are enduring these tragedies, we pray for your strength. Please know that we, in the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PBBM), are here for you. We have your back. We will do everything we can to help you during this very difficult time.

In fact, the President was in Masbate and Bogo City last week to assess the situation and give assistance. He directed all government agencies to implement a whole-of-government approach to speed up aid and recovery efforts for the victims of these recent calamities. I agree with the President that during these critical moments, government aid must never be delayed.

Thus, we at the DBM, immediately released a total of ₱2.15 billion to ensure immediate rehabilitation of affected communities and continuous relief efforts for families.

We immediately released a total of ₱1.625 billion to replenish the Quick Response Funds (QRFs) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The QRF is a built-in standby fund to equip agencies to immediately assist disaster-stricken areas so people may go back to their normal lives as soon as possible. Agencies may request replenishment from the DBM when the balance of the QRF has reached 50 percent.

Of the amount, ₱625 million was released to replenish DSWD's QRF, so it may continue prepositioning relief resources in its warehouses and providing Emergency Cash Transfer for disaster-affected families in areas declared under a State of Calamity. Meanwhile, a total of ₱1 billion was released to the DPWH to cover the third replenishment of its built-in QRF for reconstruction and rehabilitation programs, activities, or projects, including the prepositioning of goods and equipment in areas stricken by calamities, which occurred in the last quarter of the immediately preceding year and those occurring during the current year.

Aside from DSWD and DPWH, government agencies with built-in QRFs include the Department of Health, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of National Defense-Office of Civil Defense, Department of Education, Department of Transportation-Philippine Coast Guard, National Irrigation Administration, and the Department of Agriculture. I encourage these agencies to use their respective QRF to immediately assist our kababayans affected by these tragedies.

We also have the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) on standby for larger-scale needs, including the repair of damaged facilities and heritage sites, to help ensure that our communities can rise again as quickly as possible. As of Oct. 2, the NDRRMF still has ₱5.3 billion available for broader rehabilitation efforts and the repair of infrastructure damaged by the earthquake.

Meanwhile, in compliance with PBBM's directive to provide immediate assistance to communities hit by the recent earthquake, the DBM released a total of ₱425 million through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF). This includes ₱150 million for the entire Province of Cebu, ₱75 million each for the Municipalities of San Remigio, Bogo City, and Medellin, and an additional ₱50 million for the Municipality of Borbon, to accelerate relief operations and jumpstart rehabilitation efforts in these areas most severely affected by the earthquake. Other affected LGUs may also tap the LGSF if their Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund has been depleted.

Further, to fulfill the President's promise of more financial aid to the province of Masbate, which was hardest hit by Typhoon Opong, the DBM also released ₱100 million to help, especially the more than 6,000 families or 25,565 individuals at evacuation centers.

Beyond budget, amid the sorrow and chaos brought on by the calamities, we in the PBBM administration call on the people to remain strong. We assure everyone that your government is doing everything it can to help and ensure people’s safety and well-being at this difficult time. On the DBM’s part, we vow to ensure the swift, honest and efficient release and use of funds.

However, we cannot do this alone. Hence, let us all work together and support each other. Through a whole-of-nation approach and our enduring bayahihan spirit, I believe we can rebuild faster and better, making our Bagong Pilipinas stronger and more resilient.