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. (SQM/PNA)
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