The House of Representatives is seeking a P5-billion augmentation in next year's calamity fund to help disaster victims get back on their feet and rehabilitate the communities ravaged by the three typhoons that hit the country recently. 

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco vowed to push for an increase in next year’s calamity fund during the bicameral conference on the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget for next year, explaining that when the House passed the spending bill, typhoons “Quinta” and “Ulysses” and super typhoon “Rolly” were not factored in. 

“Given the tremendous damage caused by these successive strong typhoons, it is imperative that we augment the calamity fund in next year’s spending plan. We have to help our people rebuild their lives and their communities,” he said in a statement. 

The Senate has terminated the plenary debates on the spending measure and is eyeing to pass it on second and third and final reading this week.

The bicameral conference panel composed of Senate and House contingent will convene after the Senate’s approval of its own version of the General Appropriations Bill. 

Velasco said the total damage caused by Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses to infrastructure and agriculture estimated at P35 billion should prod Congress to increase the Duterte government’s calamity fund.

He recalled that under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) which was submitted by President Duterte to Congress in August,  P20 billion has been earmarked as the calamity fund, which according to him, is up by P4 billion from this year’s P16 billion.

The Marinduque lawmaker noted that of the P20 billion calamity fund, P5 billion has been allocated for Marawi reconstruction, while P6.25 billion will be used to augment the quick response funds of six agencies –Department of Education (P2 billion), Department of Social Welfare and Development (P1.25 billion), Department of Agriculture (P1 billion) , Department of Public Works and Highways (P1 billion), Department of Health (P500 million), and Department of National Defense-Office of Civil Defense (P500 million).

“That’s a total of P11.25 billion that is specifically appropriated, leaving a balance of P8.75 billion President Duterte could use to help victims of calamities and other disasters. That balance is not even enough to rebuild Bicol, which was hardly hit by typhoon Rolly,” Velasco said.

He noted that there are "enough appropriations" in the proposed 2021 budget, which could fund the proposed augmentation of the calamity fund. 

“Alternatively, we can allocate the additional money in the budgets of the agencies involved in reconstruction and helping typhoon victims,” Velasco said.