At least P406.5 million of 2018 fund for rehabilitation Marawi City expired due to national disaster and Office of the President’s slow approval.
The budget was now reverted to the national treasury.
Acting Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said the Marawi funds were included in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)
“[But] the [Department of Budget and Management’s] (DBM) releases are contingent on the NDRRMC’s endorsement and the Office of the President’s approval,” Avisado said.
NDRRMC rules state that for the NDRRMF to be released, implementing agencies should submit project proposals evaluated by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). OCD serves as the NDRRMC’s secretariat, which endorses the project to the Office of the President, Avisado explained.
Marawi still has a P3.5 billion fund under the 2019 spending bill, which the government also struggles to disburse. The fund is set to expire at the end of 2020.
The latest DBM data showed that P5.1 billion was allotted for the Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Program (MRRRP) in the 2018 national budget, and P4.4 billion was released as of Dec. 31, 2019.
P311.1 million of the P717.6-million balance are already allocated for several projects but remained pending for Office of the President’s approval.
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P406M Marawi rehabilitation 2018 fund expire
The P406.5 million expired despite a number of fund disbursements by the end of 2019.
In December 2019, the DBM released P458.2 million to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to build in Marawi City barangay complexes with “madrasah” and health centers, a “peace memorial park,” a central market, a museum, as well as a “school of living tradition.”
DBM also released P1.9 billion for the Marawi City housing program; P202 million to build or rebuild classrooms; P100 million to make the city’s command center; P20.9 million to build a fence around Mindanao State University.
P555.4 million of the P3.4-billion balance in the 2019 Marawi funds was already designated pending for approval by the national defense secretary and the OCD administrator.