Benitez seeks House investigation into unused P384M calamity funds

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Negros Occidental 3rd district Representative Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez is now seeking for a congressional inquiry on the under-utilized P384.9 million calamity funds, under the Office of Civil Defense.

Benitez said the national government had set aside funds and received huge amount of donations from international development organizations and from other countries after super typhoon Yolanda hit the country on November 2013, killing thousands and damaging millions of infrastructures and properties.

The OCD, which is the implementing arm of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, was one of the agencies that received funds for calamity victims, he said.

“It was specifically created for the coordination of the activities and functions of various government agencies and private institutions for the preservation and protection of the civilian populace and property during times of national emergencies,” Benitez said.

The congressman cited a Commission on Audit report, which noted that the Quick Response Fund, pegged at P923,153,721 as of December 2014, was “not utilized as envisioned and becomes idle.”

The COA report also noted that, out of the P466 million in foreign and local donations received by NDRRMC for various disasters in 2008, only P81 million, or 17 percent, had been disbursed since last year.

“The bulk of the fund comes from the donations received for Yolanda, which is P137 million, but OCD had only realeased P38.7 million, thereby leaving a balance of P98.2 million as of December 2014,” Benitez said.

Benitez further said the P384.9 million from the P466 million donated funds should have already been remitted to the Bureau of Treasury since it has not been utilized for more than a year.

“The severity of the effects of the recent calamities to our fellowmen had been witnessed not only by the nation but the entire world as well. Most of the victims are still trying to rebuild their lives after their traumatic encounters with the recent calamities,” he said.

The National Housing Authority reported that, for Yolanda alone, there was still a balance of 112,574 housing units that should be constructed in order to fulfil the 205,128 total housing units. Two years after the devastation, the completed housing units only totalled to 16,000, said the agency.

The same report also said that out of the P60 billion funding requirement of NHA, only P26.9 billion was released by the Department of Budget and Management and that P4.3 billion of which was realised only in September this year, he said.

“The unutilized calamity funds represents the victims that were deprived of government assistance because of inefficiencies in the bureaucracy cannot be tolerated and therefore merits and investigation,” Benitez said.

It is the duty of Congress to oversee the utilization of frontline agencies on donated funds, as well as ensure that calamity under-spending will not occur in the future, Benitez added. (FREEMAN)