Typhoon rehab: Noy OKs release of P39 B

Supplemental fund, savings to be tapped

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino approved yesterday the use of nearly P39 billion in additional funds to help typhoon victims in the Visayas and Palawan.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad told congressmen the President gave the green light for the use of the funds during the weekly meeting of the Cabinet, which Aquino presided over.

“He approved the use of an additional P38.9 billion for immediate relief and rehabilitation requirements,” Abad said.

He said it was the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) that determined the requirements and the amount needed.

“We are committed to finance relief operations to its fullest extent up to the end of December, before they start tapering off in January,” he said.

The bulk of the money would be used for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Abad said he and other Cabinet members would meet again with the President tomorrow on where the P39 billion would be sourced.

“The P14.6-billion supplemental budget that you are considering now is one of the funding sources. Additionally, we have savings amounting to P12.1 billion,” he told the House appropriations committee.

President Aquino had directed his Cabinet yesterday to do everything they could in the short term to speed up the rehabilitation and rebuilding of areas hit by Typhoon Yolanda.

Aquino presided over a Cabinet meeting yesterday, during which NEDA director general Arsenio Balisacan presented the “Yolanda Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan.”

“The President’s over-arching instructions to the Cabinet were: Dapat gawin, kayang gawin, ngayon na (What should be done and can be done, should be done now),” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.

“The plan has three phases: to provide immediate assistance to affected areas, expand initiatives and programs in the medium term, and reach full recovery and rehabilitation in the long term,” Lacierda said.

He said the President approved in principle many of the items cited but asked Balisacan and other pertinent members of the Cabinet for more specific details before providing formal approval.

Earlier, Aquino formed a task force headed by Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla to expedite the rehabilitation and rebuilding of disaster-hit areas.

The Cabinet will meet with the President again tomorrow to present further refinements to the plan, especially on the immediate actions to be taken.

Responding to questions from congressmen, Abad said the P39 billion is exclusively for areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda.

“We have separate funding for Bohol, Zamboanga and provinces hit by previous typhoons,” he said.

Congressmen are seeking funding for towns and cities affected by the earthquake in Bohol and Cebu, Typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro City and Northern Mindanao, Typhoons Santi, Pablo and other recent typhoons, and villages razed by what some of them referred to as the September “caper” of disgruntled elements of the Moro National Liberal Front in Zamboanga City.

Some of the P14.6-billion additional budget would be allotted to these areas.

Abad said Aquino would be flying to Bohol today to get a clearer picture of the reconstruction requirements of the province.

He said there is no final rebuilding plan yet and the amount needed has not been determined.

Responding to a question from Nueva Ecija Rep. Estrellita Suansing, Abad said the President specifically mentioned areas damaged by Typhoon Santi in Central Luzon a few months ago to be included in the P39-billion funding.

Also, the Palace said the Department of Trade and Industry’s Diskwento Caravan was launched to promote economic activity in the areas devastated by the super typhoon.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the caravan was aimed at restarting and energizing commercial activities in calamity areas where public markets and retail stores were destroyed. With Aurea Calica