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PRRD wants more funds from ‘22 budget utilized for ‘Odette’ rehab

By Azer Parrocha

December 20, 2021, 4:22 pm

<p><strong>REHAB FUNDS</strong>. Photo of Typhoon Odette-battered areas which were visited by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in the towns of Cebu and Bohol on Dec. 19, 2021. Malacañang on Monday (December 20) said Duterte wants “more funds” from the proposed national budget for 2022 utilized for response and recovery efforts in Odette-affected areas.<em> (Presidential photo)</em></p>

REHAB FUNDS. Photo of Typhoon Odette-battered areas which were visited by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in the towns of Cebu and Bohol on Dec. 19, 2021. Malacañang on Monday (December 20) said Duterte wants “more funds” from the proposed national budget for 2022 utilized for response and recovery efforts in Odette-affected areas. (Presidential photo)

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte wants “more funds” from the proposed national budget for 2022 utilized for response and recovery efforts in areas hit by Typhoon Odette, Malacañang said on Monday.

Acting Presidential Spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Duterte made this statement in his visit to typhoon-affected areas in Cebu and Bohol on Sunday.

“President Duterte underscored that while the effects of the typhoon are devastating even as the country continues its battle against Covid-19, the government must help because people need help. He then committed that the national government will urgently provide for the needs of typhoon-hit areas and their residents, which include rice and water, construction materials for the rebuilding of damaged houses, and housing assistance, with topmost priority given to the poor,” Nograles said in a statement.

“The President likewise conveyed that with the new budget for 2022, more funds can be utilized for response and recovery efforts,” he added.

Nograles said Duterte first visited the municipality of Argao in Cebu, where he instructed Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Eduardo del Rosario to provide housing assistance to residents whose places of residence have been damaged by the typhoon.

Duterte likewise instructed Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi to call on the private sector to help and encourage gas stations to open and operate, he added.

The DOE is working double-time to restore energy in Cebu. Currently, electricity has been restored in some parts of Cebu for utilities such as hospitals, among others.

The Department of Agriculture, for its part, allocated PHP 445.1-M to assist farmers and fisherfolks in the region who suffered heavily due to the damage caused by Typhoon Odette, Nograles said.

Duterte also visited the province of Bohol where he interacted with the local government officials and evacuees.

He reiterated that a big portion of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council fund was utilized for the government’s Covid-19 response, including quarantine expenses for returning overseas Filipino workers.

Meanwhile, Nograles urged the public to join hands in efforts to help communities ravaged by the typhoon.

“As we continue to fully assess the damage brought by typhoon Odette to our people’s livelihood and property and the local economy, let us remain united in the midst of adversity to help one another and exemplify the Filipino bayanihan spirit,” he said. (PNA)

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