PDRRM to get biggest budget share

CEBU, Philippines - The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund will get the biggest chunk of the P587.5-million allocation under the Governor’s Office in the proposed 2015 executive budget.

The P3-billion budget for next year, which was submitted on Thursday, is now subject for deliberation and approval by the Provincial Board.

A total P121,956,000 was set aside for the PDRRM fund that will support the activities and programs for disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, as well as post-disaster activities.

This has increased from the P111 million-budget this year.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, in his budget message, said that PDRRM getting the lion’s share is in line with his administration’s pursuit to intensify the disaster preparedness in the province, which was hit by two destructive calamities last year - the 7.2 magnitude earthquake on October 15 and typhoon Yolanda on November 8.

The budget is also based on Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine DRRM Act of 2010, which mandates local government units to provide at least five percent of their Internal Revenue Allotment Fund for the DRRM fund.

The law further provides that of the allocated amount, 70 percent goes to disaster preparedness programs while 30 percent is for quick response fund.

Cebu Province’s IRA share for 2015 was pegged at P2.3 billion, which is higher from this year’s P2.022 billion.

Capitol’s DRRM gets the biggest share among other items under the “Non-Office Expenditures,” which comprises 75 percent or P445 million of the Governor’s Office’s proposed budget.

DRRM Fund was followed by the subsidies to different barangays in the province totaling to P55 million.

Other allocations include the P34.6 million for Peace and Order Program that covers, among others, the incentives to Philippine National Police, Army, and barangay tanods, and other peace and order task forces; P28 million for Scholarship Program; P5 million for Cebu Anti-drug Abuse Commission; P13.5 million for operation subsidy provision for regional and municipal courts, as well as the Supreme Court; and P7 million for regional, provincial, and city prosecutor offices, and the Department of Justice. — (FREEMAN)