WITH the third anniversary of the onslaught of “Yolanda” days away, Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said the pace of reconstruction appeared to be too slow based on the low use of the P18.9 billion appropriated this year to repair the damage wrought by the strongest typhoon in history.
“Yolanda” landed on Nov. 8, 2013, killing about 10,000 people and leaving thousands more homeless.
Recto said P18.9 billion out of the P38.9-billion 2016 Calamity Fund”•officially known as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund”•had been earmarked to rebuild the areas in Eastern Visayas destroyed by “Yolanda.”
The rest will be used to prepare for or respond to calamities that will happen in 2016, to which P19 billion has been allocated and P1 billion more in People’s Survival Fund.
Because P5.09 billion from the 2015 Calamity Fund was not spent, it was added to the fund’s available appropriations for 2016, raising its spendable amount this year to almost P44 billion. However, as of the end of August, only P6.9 billion had been spent leaving a balance of P37 billion.
“Even if the entire P6.9 billion was spent for “Yolanda,” this is still small,” Recto said.
“This clearly indicates poor absorption by agencies, and to the detriment of the people who are supposed to benefit from the prompt implementation of projects that it will fund.
“It also means that the rehabilitation of public works, shelter, livelihood and farms destroyed by “Yolanda” was proceeding slow. That’s the only conclusion you can draw from the anemic use of funds.”
With the third anniversary of the strongest typhoon in recorded history on Nov. 8 fast approaching, Recto said, the government should be able to present “a good 1,000 days report card” on reconstruction.
“We hope that September and October were busy construction months, and that agencies were able to do some catching up,” he said.