Unused budget for calamity fund eyed
The Executive Department can convert at least P707 billion unutilized funds from the 2019 national budget into calamity funds, Senate Finance Committee chairman Sonny Angara said on Friday.
In a text message to reporters, Angara said that there are P7 billion unspent calamity funds and P700 billion unutilized budget lodged into different departments under the 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA) as of 30 November 2019.
The lawmaker explained that these funds remain unspent due to the delay in the approval of the 2019 GAA.
This, however, can only be used as calamity funds if the Executive
Department declared it as savings
“As of 30 November, there was still 700 billion of unutilized funds because of the late passage of the 2019 budget and of calamity fund almost 7B unutilized also. Billions lodged in various agencies were not used so that was a consideration in setting 2020 levels,” he said.
“Incidentally, much of those funds are still available and if declared by the executive as savings, can be spent to help the victims of the eruption and other calamities.”
This came amidst the government’s on-going evacuation of at least 65,000 people from Batangas and Cavite who were displaced due to the Taal Volcano eruption last Sunday.
To recall, last Wednesday opposition Senator Francis “Kiko”
Pangilinan mulled the return of P11-billion funds which was allegedly cut from the calamity funds and was transferred to intelligence funds.
Pangilinan cited the series of natural disasters and the repatriation of the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) as grounds why the said funds are needed to be transferred again to government’s calamity funds.
“There has been a series of natural disasters, from the successive earthquakes in Mindanao, the Christmas typhoon, and the latest Taal eruption. Instead of political attacks by the administration, everyone should be focusing on the tens of thousands of our affected kababayans whose lives have been dramatically changed and whose livelihoods have been severely affected, especially our farmers and fisherfolk,” Pangilinan said.
“Our OFWs in the Middle East are also seeking for their security amid the clashing of forces. And because the P11 billion pesos calamity fund was transferred to the intelligence fund, we should get back the amount of money amid the series of disasters and problems faced by the Filipino families,” he added.