Senate, House to extend validity of calamity fund

MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Franklin Drilon and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. have agreed to speed up approval of a proposed joint resolution to extend the validity of funds for calamity response in the 2013 national budget to boost funding for areas that Typhoon Yolanda had devastated.

Drilon and Belmonte discussed the matter over the weekend.

The joint resolution aims to extend for one more fiscal year the authorization to spend the appropriations for calamity fund and other disaster and relief related programs in the budgets of selected line agencies estimated to be around P20.8 billion.

Drilon said the two houses of Congress aim to pass the joint resolution before the current General Appropriations Act expires on Dec. 31, 2013 to allow agencies dealing with disaster relief and rebuilding activities to use the funds.

“Otherwise, if they remain unobligated by the end of the year, the funds will go back to the National Treasury and could not be used anymore by the start of the next fiscal year,” he said.

Belmonte Jr. said the practice in the past was for calamity funds and other related appropriations to have a life span of two years to ensure availability of cash in case of disasters and other emergencies in between budget appropriations.

“This joint resolution will restore the life to two years,” he said.

Malacañang reduced this year to one year the life span of funds contained in the 2013 General Appropriations Act to speed up public spending, he added.

Drilon said the continued use of the P20.8 billion can augment funding for huge relief and rehabilitation efforts.

“We have to capacitate the government for it to be able to respond adequately and effectively to urgent and pressing needs of our people who have been gravely affected by the series of natural and man-made calamities that hit the country, until they are able to get back up on their feet,” he said.

“The ultimate beneficiaries of our actions are the people who were left homeless, hungry and in despair by the calamities. We need to help them rebuild their lives and their homes.”

Belmonte said he has asked Malacañang for two documents — a certification that the proposed supplemental budget is urgent, and a certification of availability of funds.

“The reason of certification is to do away with some of the processes for speedy action,” he said.

The supplemental budget will be funded from the unused Priority Development Assistance Fund of lawmakers for 2013.