Manila: The Department of Budget and Management has released an initial PHP362 million to support the rehabilitation and reconstruction of public facilities damaged by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao on June 8. The release of funds was in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to provide immediate assistance to affected communities in Mindanao.
According to Philippines News Agency, the DBM stated that the funding, sourced from the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), will be directly allocated to the affected local government units to accelerate recovery efforts and restore critical infrastructure in the hardest-hit areas, particularly Sarangani, General Santos City, and South Cotabato.
The DBM released approximately PHP100 million to the city government of General Santos on June 9 for the repair and rehabilitation of a multipurpose building in Dadiangas East village. An additional PHP140 million was released on June 15 to the provincial government of Sarangani for the rehabilitation and improvement of earthquake-damaged infrastructure.
The allocated budget will be used for the rehabilitation of multipurpose buildings, a local road, and a bridge in the municipality of Alabel, as well as the restoration of a hospital building and another local road in Glan town. Furthermore, PHP122 million was released to the provincial government of South Cotabato to fund the concreting of a local road connecting Acmonan and Kablon villages in Tupi, a key infrastructure project expected to improve mobility and support economic recovery in affected communities.
DBM Secretary Kim Robert de Leon mentioned that the PHP362 million forms part of the national government's broader disaster response and recovery financing strategy. He emphasized that the release reflects the administration's commitment to ensuring that government assistance reaches disaster-hit communities promptly.
De Leon stated, "Hindi po dapat naghihintay ang mga mamamayan sa oras ng sakuna. Malinaw po ang direktiba ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.-dapat maramdaman agad ng mga naapektuhang komunidad ang tulong ng pamahalaan," highlighting the importance of immediate government assistance in times of disaster.
He also noted that additional disaster-response resources remain available through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund and the Quick Response Fund (QRF) to support ongoing relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts nationwide. National government disaster response agencies may request the replenishment of their respective QRFs once fund utilization reaches the prescribed 50 percent threshold, in accordance with existing budgeting and accounting rules and regulations.
