MANILA, April 6 – The Department of Budget and Management said that in the interest of truth and accuracy, it is clarifying false claims on NHA Yolanda Housing and El Niño assistance funds.
The DBM said it would like to set the record straight regarding the following statements of Vice President and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) standard-bearer Jejomar C. Binay:
1. That the government was slow to release funds to the National Housing Authority (NHA) for housing programs in Yolanda-hit areas; and
2. That DBM did not release P900 million earmarked by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to support farmers in Mindanao affected by El Niño that was set for release in March as part of the P19-billion package earlier approved by the government.
Binay missed the mark with his first claim. DBM has released P34.4 billion to NHA out of the total requirement of P60 billion for Resettlement, Housing Assistance, and Permanent Shelter Programs under the Yolanda Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program (CRRP). Of this amount, P2.4 billion was released in the immediate aftermath of the typhoon in 2013.
The total requirement for the rebuilding and rehabilitation of Yolanda-ravaged communities is P150 billion. As of today, DBM has released a total of 105.4 billion to various agencies to fund the CRRP. These fund releases were charged against various funding sources in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) between fiscal years 2013 and 2016.
In addition, P736 million has been allocated this year to Eastern Visayas under the Bottom-up Budgeting (BUB) program to fund disaster preparedness and mitigation projects.
Details of fund releases for the CRRP have been available on the DBM website since October 31, 2015. The data on DBM website shows the list of fund releases disaggregated per year and per implementing agency. The data also includes details on Special Allotment Release Orders (SARO), as well as the fund source and purpose.
Binay’s second claim was also false. There was no P900-million fund withheld by DBM.
DA submitted a request for additional funds for El Niño interventions in the amount of P2.11 billion. DBM informed DA, as well as other agencies with El Niño interventions, to maximize their appropriations and to charge their funding requirements for said interventions to existing programs, activities and projects under their budget. Agencies also have access Quick Response Funds (QRF), which have already been released. The QRF serves as a stand-by fund to stabilize the condition of communities in areas under a state of calamity.
Concerned agencies were also advised that any additional requirement that could not be funded under their agency budgets may be charged against the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) subject to compliance with the Special Provision on the utilization of this fund.
Candidates should be held to the highest standard of honesty when they present claims or make statements. DBM invites discerning Filipinos to consult our resources for data and to be wary of falsities presented as facts by people seeking political gain. (DBM)