Chiz: Release Quick Recovery Fund Asap to First Responder Agencies in Odette-Hit Areas
With the impact of Super Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) reaching catastrophic levels, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) must hasten the release of the Quick Recovery Fund (QRF) of agencies at the frontline of disaster response, Sorsogon Gov. Chiz Escudero said.
Escudero also said the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) should equip local government units (LGUs) in developing an effective Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (LDRRMP), so they can be better guided in spending their disaster fund.
“The DILG and DBM should give more leeway to LGUs in spending their Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) to prevent and mitigate disasters, and not straitjacket national agencies in using their QRF for rehabilitation and repair,” said Escudero, who is running for a Senate seat.
Since 2017, line agencies have been classified into first responders and non-first responders in a calamity. First responders for relief and rehabilitation are the Department of Social Welfare and Development; Department of National Defense; Department of Health; and National Electrification Administration. Non-first responders are the Department of Public Works and Highways; Armed Forces of the Philippines; and Office of Civil Defense, which are tasked with repair and reconstruction.
With over 200 cities and municipalities experiencing power interruptions and food shortages in the aftermath of Odette, Escudero highlighted the need to spend the LDRRMF on equipment and infrastructure that will prevent the catastrophic impact of future extreme weather events.
Escudero, whose province is in a typhoon-prone region, said the LDRRMF was legislated in 2010 precisely so LGUs would have the resources for disaster prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, rehabilitation and recovery.
“As a big believer in preparedness, I think there is a need for LGUs to review and update their LDRRMPs so we can integrate disaster risk reduction into the local Comprehensive Development Plan. We cannot carry on with this kind of devastation every year,” Escudero said.
The LDRRMF, or what used to be known as the local calamity fund, represents at least 5% of a city or municipality’s estimated regular revenue, as mandated by Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
The law says 70% of the LDRRMF is for disaster preparedness through the procurement of necessary equipment and early warning systems; 30% is the Quick Response Fund, a standby fund for relief and recovery programs to improve living conditions during emergency situations and hasten normalization in disaster-affected areas.
“I think we need a culture change in disaster management so that LGUs are focused on anticipating shocks instead of reacting to shocks caused by severe weather events. Lives are at stake here, and the real disaster is if we never learn,” the senatorial aspirant said.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Odette has caused at least P8 billion in damages to agriculture across the Visayas and Mindanao. It destroyed 500,000 homes and left 397 people dead. #
