‘Idle funds as bad as misuse’

MANILA, Philippines — Failure to use funds for the rehabilitation and recovery of a calamity-stricken area like those devastated by Typhoon Yolanda is as bad as misusing the money, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said yesterday.

Lacson said he could not understand why some people in charge of the supposed rehabilitation and recovery activities for the 171 cities affected by Yolanda failed to carry out their tasks.

“Unused funds for the rehabilitation and recovery of calamity-stricken areas, especially the one hit by the strongest typhoon in history that made landfall, is as bad as misusing it,” said Lacson.

“I cannot understand for the life of me why people continue to suffer despite almost six years after they were struck by Yolanda and yet, government and the primary agency tasked to alleviate their suffering continuously fail to deliver in spite of the availability of funds,” Lacson added. “If only because of this particular situation, a case of omission is as bad as commission.”

The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) for its slow and poor use of funds, defeating the donors’ intention of helping Filipino victims of disasters.

Five years after Yolanda devastated Eastern Visayas, the OCD had yet to spend P40.98 million of P135.39 million, or 30.3 percent, in donations it had received to aid the victims of the strongest storm to hit land, the COA said in its 2018 annual audit report for the disaster agency.

Lacson served as presidential assistant for rehabilitation and recovery (PARR) of Yolanda damaged areas for 14 months and completed the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan under the administration of former president Benigno Aquino III.

“As PARR, I submitted in record time the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan, detailing all the programs, projects and activities to respond to the needs and priorities of all 171 cities and municipalities along the Yolanda Corridor with approved funding of P167 billion,” he said.

Lacson said he proposed funding for the rehabilitation of the 171 Yolanda affected cities and municipalities of P167.8 billion covering some 18,000 projects and programs.

He also recommended to the President to strengthen the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and authorize the agency to work with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regarding rehabilitation efforts.