MALACANANG assured the public on Monday that the government remains financially capable of sustaining disaster response and recovery efforts despite the string of recent calamities that struck the country.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has confirmed that even if the allocations under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Fund and Quick Response Fund (QRF) are fully depleted, the government can still draw from the P12.005 billion Contingent Fund.
“Even if our contingent fund is exhausted due to the successive calamities, we can still tap excess revenues and unprogrammed appropriations under the Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure Program (SAGIP),” Castro said during a Palace press briefing.
The assurance came as the country continues to reel from back-to-back natural disasters in recent weeks.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Cebu and nearby Visayas provinces on Sept. 30, triggering landslides, infrastructure damage, and displacing several families. On Oct. 10, magnitude 7.4 and 6.8 earthquakes hit the Davao Region, damaging homes, schools, and major roads.
Meanwhile, consecutive typhoons battered Luzon and parts of the Visayas, causing flooding in Metro Manila, Bicol, and Northern Luzon, and prompting preemptive evacuations and widespread relief operations.
The series of disasters has placed a heavy strain on the QRF allocations of agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which finance immediate relief, rehabilitation, and infrastructure recovery efforts.
When asked if President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has requested additional emergency funds from Congress, Castro said there has been no official communication so far.
“So far, we have not received any update indicating that the President has spoken with Congress regarding additional funds,” she said.
