Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto on Thursday made an appeal to Malacañang to download at the soonest time the billions of pesos in Calamity Fund and Quick Response Fund to provinces facing the wrath of the El Niño phenomenon, saying pre-emptive measures are needed to avert a national crisis caused by widespread drought.
“The dry spell is real. Now is the time to release the funds approved by Congress to shield the country from the wrath of El Niño. Tomorrow maybe too late,” Recto said.
“We do not need to wait for the provinces to declare a state of calamity in their localities before downloading the funds. A national crisis is just around the corner,” he added.
“Dry spell plus drought of funds. That’s the formula for more Kidapawans. That should not happen because national government has the money to help local governments and farmers,” he said.
The senator again sounded the alarm bells on El Niño after the entire province of Cebu this week (April 11) joined the growing list of provinces that had declared a state of calamity due to dry spell.
Last week (April 7), the neighboring province of Bohol was also placed under a state of calamity.
Recto noted that even the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration had predicted that more than 30 provinces in the country may experience severe drought this April.
According to the weather bureau, more than 30 percent of the country will experience drought for three consecutive months with below normal rainfall.
Pagasa enumerated the following provinces under threat of severe drought:
• (Luzon): Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan;
• (Visayas): Negros Oriental, Bohol, and Siquijor;
• (Mindanao): Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Basilan, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, and Tawi-Tawi.
Pagasa has already identified the most vulnerable areas. They should receive the El Niño funds ASAP, Recto said.
For this year, according to Recto, P38.9 billion has been allocated as National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund in the national budget.
However, P18.9 billion of this amount is earmarked for Yolanda reconstruction, “which means only about P19 billion can be disposed for other calamities, like the El Niño.”
A lump sum fund, this Calamity Fund covers aid, relief, and rehabilitation services to areas hit by man-made and natural calamities. It also funds pre-disaster projects and operations.
The Calamity Fund, however, is separate from the P6.7 billion QRF which has been distributed among 12 agencies, with P1.32 billion given to DWSD, and P500 million each to DA and the National Irrigation Administration.
Other QRF recipients are DepEd (P1 billion); DoH (P510 million); DPWH (P1.3 billion); DoTC, including Philippine Coast Guard (P200 million); PNP (P75 million); BFP (P75 million); DND (P200 million); Office of Civil Defense (P530 million).