DSWD seeks additional P500 million fund

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is asking the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for an additional P500 million after the near depletion of their 2013 disaster fund with six months left in the year.

Resty Macuto, chief of the DSWD’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Operations Office, said the department’s 2013 quick response fund worth P652.5 million has been almost used up.

“We have already made a request with the DBM last April because it was already running low by the end of March,” Macuto said.

He said that a big portion of the P652.5 million was used up by the DSWD’s disaster relief operations for victims of Typhoon Pablo, which caused massive destruction in the provinces of Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley and Davao City in December 2012.

While the quick response fund was already low, Macuto said the DSWD was still able to release relief goods for victims of Tropical Storm Gorio last weekend in Albay, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon.

Macuto said that the almost depleted quick response fund is a big problem if typhoons hit the country in the next few weeks.