P3.24 billion calamity fund released in August

MANILA, Philippines — The government has released P3.24 billion in calamity funds in August, with the remaining P10.46 billion ready to be tapped for disaster relief operations for the rest of the year.

Data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showed that the remaining national disaster risk reduction and management fund (NDRRMF), commonly known as the calamity fund, is at P10.46 billion of the P20.7 billion allocation for 2022.

This means the DBM released P3.24 billion in August, higher than the P1 billion it disbursed the month before.

Broken down, P1.58 billion was released to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the provision of shelter assistance to families whose houses were destroyed by Odette in December.

Another P1 billion was released to replenish the quick response fund (QRF) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), while the remaining P662.5 million was used to top up the QRF of the DSWD.

Based on the law, first response agencies, like the DPWH and DSWD, are allocated QRFs in their annual budget.

Once the QRF of any agency reaches 50 percent or lower, it can request replenishment from the DBM.

The QRF is used for the reconstruction, rehabilitation or repair of damaged roads, bridges and buildings, among others after every calamity.

It is also being used to provide immediate relief to affected Filipinos in certain areas.

Apart from DPWH and DSWD, agencies with QRFs include the departments of agriculture, education and health as well as the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, and the Office of Civil Defense.

As of end-August, P10.24 billion had been released by the DBM, 84 percent or P8.58 billion of which were allocated to national government agencies.

The remaining P1.66 billion spent for calamity funds went to government-owned and controlled corporations.

The DPWH is the top recipient at P3.12 billion, followed by the DSWD with P2.91 billion and the National Housing Authority with P1.31 billion.