Manila Bulletin

DOF commits funding for Ormoc rehabilita­tion

- By CHINO S. LEYCO

The Department of Finance (DOF) has committed to help fund the rehabilita­tion of Ormoc City that was devastated by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake last month.

In a report to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, Executive Director Helen Habulan of the Municipal Developmen­t Fund Office (MDFO) said an initial estimate provided by Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez placed the amount needed for the rehabilita­tion efforts at R1 billion.

Habulan said the DOF will finance the reconstruc­tion of Ormoc City’s water source and main pipes that were damaged during the quake, the evacuation efforts and the resettleme­nt of three barangays affected by the landslides and aftershock­s.

“Mayor Gomez will ask the City Council to convene for the required Resolution, then we will proceed immediatel­y for appraisal to establish the final amount of loan assistance,” Habulan said in her report to Dominguez.

“Included in the financing are the acquisitio­n of heavy equipment which the city needs for its extensive rehabilita­tion and acquisitio­n of the necessary materials for the resettleme­nt of affected families,” she added.

Habulan also reported that the MDFO and Ormoc city officials led by Gomez are already validating and finalizing details on the amount covered by the loan and its amortizati­on schedule.

The MDFO will also send a team to Ormoc to conduct a field validation after the office receives the resolution of the city council (Sanggunian­g Panlungsod) on the loan request, Habulan said.

According to Habulan, the MDFO has placed Ormoc City’s net borrowing capacity at R3.2 billion with no existing loans on record, which makes the city fully capable of repaying its obligation­s.

The MDFO administer­s the Municipal Developmen­t Fund (MDF), a special revolving fund that was establishe­d for relending to local government units (LGUs) to enable them to tap funds from local and internatio­nal sources for the implementa­tion of their respective developmen­t projects.

A magnitude 6.5 quake hit Ormoc last July 6, with close to 300 aftershock­s recorded. It was the strongest to hit Ormoc in recent years, killing two persons and injuring about 100 others.

The quake also destroyed over 500 houses and damaged 62 others in 12 mountain barangays of the city. The supply of water and electricit­y to the city were also cut off and are now being fully restored.

President Duterte visited Ormoc last July 14 and assured residents that the government has a rehabilita­tion plan in place for the city and other areas in Leyte devastated by the tremor.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Philippines