Agencies aiding typhoon-hit areas can seek more QRFs

MANILA, Philippines — Agencies assisting areas affected by Typhoon Odette may ask for additional quick response funds (QRF) if necessary, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

During a briefing on the effects of Odette last Friday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he spoke with the director of his agency’s regional office in Cebu and learned that some health facilities had lost their roofs.

He said the rebuilding of facilities should start as soon as the risk becomes less so they can provide services to affected communities, although he noted that authorities are still assessing the damage to health facilities in typhoon-hit regions.

“And I’d like to know if we can already directly submit to DBM the required budget for repairs so that we can already work on this immediately,” he added.

Budget Undersecretary Kim Robert de Leon, who was present during the meeting, said agencies like the health, agriculture, education, public works and social welfare departments and the Office of Civil Defense have built-in quick response funds.

“They can immediately tap this and utilize (it). Once depleted, they can just send to us the request for replenishment of the QRF, which we will be charging from the remaining balance of the NDRRM (National Disaster Risk Reduction And Management) fund for 2021,” De Leon said.

Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is gathering information about the extent of the damage caused by the typhoon.

The council is also expected to submit its damage assessment and recommendations to the Office of the President.

“But in the meantime, the DBM is right in saying that the different departments have QRF they can use. Then in the meantime, if our local government units need to declare a state of calamity locally, they have the right to do so,” Nograles said.

A state of calamity declaration allows local officials to tap their respective calamity funds to help typhoon-hit communities.

At the same meeting, President Duterte said he was not that worried about damage to government infrastructure but feared that the number of typhoon-related casualties could rise.

“I am as eager as you to go there to see for myself,” Duterte said.

The President said the government is trying to raise funds to assist the areas battered by Odette.

“You know, our budget was depleted immensely because of the COVID. Our funds were really depleted. We prioritize the expenses. These typhoons, they are the imponderables as they would say. They would come, they would not come but because of the COVID, our funds have been used up. So we’re trying to scrimp how much we can raise so that we can marshal it to the areas affected,” Duterte said.