Ni NOEL ABUEL
Umapela si Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda sa National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) na irekomenda kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na magdeklara ng state of calamity sa ilang rehiyon sa Visayas at Mindanao dahil sa pananalasa ng typhoon Odette.
“Under the National DRR Act, or Republic Act No. 10121, the NDRRMC should recommend a declaration of state of calamity by the President. A declaration will then activate measures such as price controls, reprogramming of funds for repair of infrastructure, and the granting of no-interest loans by the government financial institutions,” ani Salceda.
Idinagdag pa ng kongresista na sa pamamagitan ng pagdedeklara ng state of calamity ay awtomatiko nang magpapatupad ng price freeze sa lahat ng pangunahing bilihin na naaayon sa RA 7581, o ang Price Act.
Sinabi pa ni Salceda na may sapat na pondo ang pamahalaan para magamit sa pagtulong sa mga nasalantang mga lalawigan.
“The government can mobilize its quick response funds, created under RA 10121, the NDRRM Funds, and the President’s Contingent Fund. Note that both the 2020 and the 2021 budgets for these funds are still valid. You have around P6.5 billion in available fund balances from the NDRRM Fund and the President’s contingent funds, based on latest budget reports,” paliwanag pa ni Salceda.
“There is also the Presidential Social Fund, which is off-budget, and which the President can also immediately mobilize. That comes from PAGCOR, which remitted some P2 billion this year to the Social Fund,” dagdag nito.
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