Duterte urged to use Road Board funds for rehabilitation

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte was urged yesterday to use Road Board funds to rehabilitate areas in Bicol and other regions damaged by recent typhoons.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. made the plea in reaction to the statement of Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno that the funds could be tapped for the rehabilitation of Manila Bay.

“While we welcome the budget secretary’s plan, we are also appealing to him and the President to consider allocating a share of the funds to solve the problem of perennial flooding, particularly in Bicol, which Typhoon Usman hit last month,” he said.

Villafuerte noted that the President made a similar commitment when he visited Bicol and other typhoon-damaged areas mid-January.