No funds for P36.1 billion Taal rehab plan – NEDA

MANILA, Philippines — More than a year after Taal Volcano erupted, there is still no funding for 86 percent or P36.1 billion of the P42 billion rehabilitation program in affected areas.

At the hearing of the House committee on Southern Tagalog development yesterday, National Economic and Development Authority-Calabarzon assistant director Gina Gacusan said 1,091 projects are under fund sourcing status.

“We were targeting 2025 for all these to be implemented, but we were hit by COVID-19 and revenues from the government are down. Funds are not there and priorities have changed nationwide,” Gacusan said.

“We also compete for COVID (funds). Other agencies prioritized COVID,” she said.

Only 88 projects worth P420 million, representing one percent of the total, have been completed. Another one percent has been funded but has yet to start.

Two percent or nearly P1 billion, covering 75 projects are ongoing.

This year, funding for nine percent or 41 projects worth P3.68 billion was included in the national expenditure program.

Funding for another one percent of the projects was included in the proposed budget for next year.

The bulk of the aggregate investments needed for recovery was allocated for physical infrastructure covering 669 projects worth P15.28 billion.

Ninety-five are housing and settlements projects worth P11.54 billion and 368 agriculture and fisheries with a budget of P9.48 billion.

A total of P3.75 billion was earmarked for tourism and livelihood and P1.85 billion for social services.

Taal’s phreatomagnetic eruption on Jan. 12 last year displaced more than 300,000 people and caused damage amounting to P8.41 billion.

Thousands of families are still in need of permanent shelter.