The Marcos administration could tap an additional P15.507 billion in its El Niño war chest to mitigate the persistent heat wave that has damaged more than P1 billion in the agriculture sector in the first two months of this year alone.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the government could allocate P15.507 billion under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) from the total PHP20.5 billion allocated for disaster risk reduction and management this year.
We are prepared to support all operations that seek to cushion the negative impacts of the dry spell affecting various provinces in the country. Our data shows that as of April 24 this year, the disaster relief fund stands at over PHP15 billion," Pangandaman said.
She noted that the current NDRRMF balance also includes PHP1 billion allocated for the parametric insurance coverage of government facilities against natural calamities.
In addition, another P7.825 billion is available for various government agencies as quick response funds (QRFs) as part of the built-in budgetary allocations for similar purposes.
For the respective QRF allocations of agencies this year, a total of P1 billion has been allocated to the Department of Agriculture, P3 billion for the Department of Education, P500 million for the Department of Health, PHP50 million for the Bureau of Fire Protection, PHP50 million for the Philippine National Police, P500 million for the Office of Civil Defense, PHP1 billion for the Department of Public Works and Highways, P1.75 billion for the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and P75 million for the Philippine Coast Guard.
"Aside from that, several identified agencies may mobilize the QRF allocated in their respective budgets by the special provisions for QRF when necessary. Malaking tulong po 'yan sa mga apektadong komunidad sa bansa (It would be a huge help for the affected communities in the country)," she said.
According to the DBM, the NDRRMF shall be used for aid, relief, and rehabilitation services to communities/areas and repair, rehabilitation, and reconstruction works in connection with natural or human-induced calamities in the current or two preceding years, subject to the president's approval.
The fund also serves as an additional funding source for agencies whose budgets include provisions for QRF when the balance has reached 50 percent, subject to the approval of the DBM.
Aside from the disaster relief fund, Pangandaman also highlighted that PHP4.5 billion has been allotted for the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation's crop insurance program this year to cover the full cost of crop insurance premiums for over 2.292 million targeted farmers.
Task Force El Niño spokesperson and Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama reported that 103 cities and municipalities have declared a state of calamity due to the effects of El Niño.
The effects of the El Niño phenomenon are expected to linger until June.
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