TACLOBAN CITY -- The central government has already released PHP67.1 billion funds for the rehabilitation of areas in Eastern Visayas ravaged by super typhoon Yolanda from 2013 to 2017, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) regional office here confirmed.
DBM Regional Director Imelda Laceras said Wednesday that of the total, PHP44.6 billion is a direct release to central office but implemented in Eastern Visayas, while PHP22.1 billion was directly downloaded to field offices based in the region.
“The amount represents 45.94 percent of total PHP146.2 billion releases for Yolanda-affected areas in central Philippines,” Laceras said.
The budget department, however, has no figures showing how much funds have been spent in more than four years of rehabilitation works and how much unspent budget have been reverted back to the National Treasury.
Majority of funds were downloaded through national government agencies at PHP41.88 billion, government-owned and controlled corporations at PHP24.83 billion, and other executive offices at PHP405.43 million.
The National Housing Authority got the highest outlay among all agencies at PHP21.92 billion. The agency is tasked to build 56,140 permanent houses for typhoon survivors in six provinces. Of the target, only 18,543 have been completed as of January 31, 2018.
The DBM official believes that huge unspent funds have been returned to the central government due to various project implementation issues after the monster typhoon.
“Many backlogs of government are releases on Yolanda rehabilitation. To address this, we went around the region to conduct trainings for officials involved in procurement,” Laceras added.
In regional briefing for the provincial grassroots consultation in the Yolanda Corridor-Region 8 meeting held at the NEDA regional office here on Tuesday, Presidential Assistant Wendel Avisado asked officials to find out how much funds were returned to the national government’s fund.
“We will push for reallocation of funds and include these in future General Appropriations Act. There are still many needs by affected communities and this money are intended for typhoon survivors as originally approved,” said Avisado, the official tasked by President Rodrigo Duterte to oversee Yolanda rehabilitation efforts.
Based on rules, an unspent budget should be returned to the National Treasury if not utilized within two years after appropriation.
In the next two months, the Office of the President will conduct consultations in five Eastern Visayas provinces pummeled by the killer typhoon in a bid to update the public on government-led recovery efforts and hear concerns of beneficiaries.
Each consultation would invite 120 participants composed of beneficiaries of resettlement projects, local and national government officials, and representatives of civil society organizations.
The activity will gather issues and concerns encountered by survivors in resettlement sites and convene various government instrumentalities to identify interventions that will ensure sustainability of resettlement projects and improve their quality of life.
After the consultation, the Office of the President expects to formulate the multi-year post-resettlement program for submission and approval of President and inter-agency task force.
The consultation, which was recently completed in Western Visayas, includes reporting of projects status for every cluster, open forum, and ocular inspection of resettlement sites.
On Nov. 8, 2013, super typhoon Yolanda unleashed its wrath in central Philippines, killing around 6,300 people and leaving more than 4.4 million people displaced and homeless.
Tacloban City, the regional hub of Eastern Visayas region, was considered as Yolanda’s ground zero. (PNA)
Tacloban file photo
