DBM releases P2.29B for Marawi safety net

THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) said it released P2.29 billion for social projects under the Marawi City Rehabilitation and Recovery program.

The social projects, carried out by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), include the Basic Transitory Family Support Package worth

P1.43 billion for 25,537 displaced families.

Recipients will also get an additional P675.20 million from the Provision of Livelihood Settlement Grants program.

The release also includes a P183.02-million Operational Support Fund for administrative expenses.

The funding is taken from the Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Program (MRRRP), which is supported by the P25.5 billion 2018 National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Fund. “Notably, P10 billion has been appropriated in the FY 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA) under the Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Program. To date, a total of P4.59 billion out of the P10 billion allocation has been released for the purpose,” the DBM said. Earlier this month, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it will construct a P76-million water system to serve more than 2,156 households by December 2019.

The government is responsible for rehabilitating outside the city’s most affected area, as well as the providing for the needs of families, while a private consortium is responsible for the rehabilitating ground zero, where work is expected to begin next month. —