Former Bayan Muna Congressman Neri Colmenares strongly disapproves of the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) announcement that unprogrammed funds may be utilized for disaster response following Severe Tropical Storm Kristine. He emphasized the need for a more reliable and readily available calamity fund that is directly allocated to the people instead of passing through politicians’ favored projects in the Unprogrammed Appropriation.
“The road to hell is paved with self-serving claims of good intentions. Bakit nyo nilagay sa unprogrammed funds ang pagkukunan ng calamity fund? It should have been included in the regular budget because we have a calamity every year. We’re afraid this recent DBM move will trigger the use of pork barrel projects of politicians in the Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) after DBM said that Php 1 billion in calamity funds will be given to the DPWH,” Colmenares stated, highlighting the perennial nature of calamities in the Philippines and the necessity for proactive budgeting.
“These calamity funds will not even go directly to the needs of the victims of Kristine, as Php 25 million will be given to the PNP, Php 37.5 million will go to Civil Defense, and Php 1 billion to the DPWH. Dito ba pupunta ang mga kinuha nilang bilyon-bilyung pondo sa PhilHealth? Why not spend these PhilHealth funds directly on the medical needs of victims of Kristine instead?” Colmenares added.
“DBM should first tap the Php 1.9 billion of regular calamity funds for National Disaster Risk Management and Pres. Marcos’ contingent fund, has a balance of Php 10.3 billion in the regular budget. Kung kapusin ang regular budget for calamity, then the solution is to put in a more specific budget for calamity instead of putting it in reserve in the UA,” he said.
Colmenares stressed the urgency of having a dedicated and sufficient calamity fund, stating, “There are a lot of funds in the regular budget which should be immediately tapped instead of this penchant to use unprogrammed funds. Our people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake here. People need food, water, medicine, and supplies to rebuild their homes, now and not some vague DPWH projects that will be completed next year.”
Colmenares called for a reassessment of budget priorities to ensure that disaster preparedness and response are adequately funded, reinforcing the need for government accountability and foresight in disaster management. “DepEd, then under VP Sara Duterte, was given Php 3.5 billion in Quick Response Funds when it only had 7.3% capacity to utilize these funds. Why use the Unprogrammed Funds instead of the remaining Php 3.2 billion of DepEd QRF? This obsession to trigger projects of politicians in the Unprogrammed Appropriations is certainly suspicious.”
The former congressman’s remarks come amid ongoing efforts to accelerate the release of necessary resources to affected areas.#
