Calamity funds on hand for typhoon-hit LGUs, says DBM

Local governments reeling from the damage wrought by strong typhoons like “Vicky” that battered the Visayas and Mindanao recently can still secure funding for their response and recovery measures from the P7.6-billion calamity fund, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said on Wednesday.

“The local calamity fund can be tapped by local government units (LGUs) for their respective rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts, which are derived from the quick response fund but will still be subject to request from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The local calamity fund is chargeable against the national disaster risk reduction management fund (NDRRMF),” Avisado said in a statement.

Even national government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development as well as the Office of Civil Defense are sourcing funds from the NDRRMF for disaster response, Avisado noted.

Avisado said the Office of the President was expected to immediately approve funding for emergency response to Typhoon Vicky, similar to when typhoons “Quinta,” “Rolly” and “Ulysses” devastated parts of the country in October and November.

The DBM earlier released P1.5 billion in financial assistance to cities and municipalities devastated by typhoons Quinta and Rolly including the provinces of Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal and Marinduque. INQ