Another P14.5-B Marawi rehab fund approved
THE OFFICE of the President approved on Oct. 30 the P14.5-billion increase in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRMMF), which will be spent for Marawi City’s rehabilitation. The amount, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), will be sourced from the savings of the Department of Public Works and Highways in its 2016 and 2017 budgets, amounting to P 10.3 billion and P4.2 billion, respectively. So far, the DBM has initially released P5 billion for the rebuilding work, taken from the 2017 calamity fund and savings from 2016. This will be followed by a P10-billion allocation sourced from the 2018 calamity fund. Meanwhile, the Davao City government will contribute P5 million to the rebuilding program, to be taken from the local Quick Response Fund (QRF) this year. Budget Officer Ermelinda L. Furog said the city still has a QRF of over P96.4 million. “It is our duty as Dabawenyos to help our countrymen in Marawi. If we all give a little and put it all together, it can make a big difference,” Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said, adding that peace in Marawi is beneficial to the development of Davao City.
ATMs
In another development, the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank), the only government bank present in Marawi, announced that its automated teller machines (ATMs) inside the Marawi State University are back online. In a statement on Nov. 7, Landbank said it is also preparing to resume banking operations at its branch at the provincial capitol of Lanao del Sur by the end of the month. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan and Carmencita A. Carillo