Philippines has P2.2 billion left in calamity fund for 2025 — OCD
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines can still tap P2.2 billion from its calamity fund to aid disaster recovery, including for Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong), through year-end, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said on Monday, November 10.
In an interview with ANC’s Headstart, OCD Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV assured the public that the government has sufficient resources to support the rehabilitation of areas hit by recent storms and to respond to any additional storms until the end of December 2025.
"Mayroon pa tayong close to P2.2 billion na calamity fund na available pa po na gamitin hanggang December," he said. "So in terms of resources, mayroon na po tayong available and we will be judiciously allocating itong mga ito doon sa mga nangangailangan talaga."
(We still have close to P2.2 billion in the calamity fund available for use until December,” he said. So in terms of resources, we already have funds available, and we will be judiciously allocating them to those who truly need them.)
Alejandro said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which distributes boxes of relief goods during calamities like severe flooding and earthquakes, still has P2.3 billion worth of stockpile.
The agency used up P4.4 million worth of various food and non-food packs during Typhoon Uwan, making up 68% of the total assistance provided already as of Monday. Should families need to repair their homes, Alejandro said shelter repair kits are available from local government units.
Meanwhile, the OCD said P156 million worth of medical supplies remain for the rest of the year, which it considers sufficient.
While the 2026 budget is still under Senate review, the House has approved a P29.25-billion allocation for next year’s calamity fund under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF).
Half of the budget is earmarked for aid, relief, rehabilitation, adaptation projects, and training of local government personnel, while the other half will go toward repair and reconstruction.
The proposed allocation is lower than the P31 billion proposed under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) but more than the approved 2025 budget of P21 billion.
In 2024, back-to-back storms left local governments’ quick response funds exhausted by November, forcing the Department of Budget and Management to tap the NDRRMF.
For 2026, the House approved P9.975 billion in quick response funds for various agencies, the largest of which has been allocated to the DSWD and the Department of Education.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has declared a one-year state of calamity in the wake of Typhoon Tino, which reportedly left over 200 dead and more than 500 injured.
The declaration is intended to speed up rescue, relief, rehabilitation, and humanitarian assistance, and impose price controls on basic and prime commodities. It also allows affected families to apply for calamity loans with the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
The NDRRMC reported on Monday that Typhoon Uwan has already claimed two deaths and two injuries.
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