The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is hoping for the release of the P10 billion Odette worth of funds before the year ends after laying out its funding sources in a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 22.
DBM officer-in-charge Sec. Tina Rose Marie Canda explained that P6 billion will be coming from the 2022 national budget and will only become available once the General Appropriations Act (GAA) is signed into law.
“The P2 billion is already available under the NDRRMF, which is the long name of calamity fund. Another P2 billion is under the President’s contingent fund. The remainder of the P6 billion will be available in a couple of days once GAA (General Appropriations Act) is signed for 2022,” she said.
Sec. Canda also clarified that only around P4 billion pesos can be used immediately from the total available budget for 2021. She said that it is not possible to use and augment all of the remaining funds for the Odette relief.
“We still have a remainder of around P4 billion at the moment. Iyon ang puwedeng gamitin kasi misleading iyon kung ibibigay natin iyong total na available under the budget for this year kasi hindi naman puwedeng gamitin lahat iyon for the purpose of augmenting iyong pangangailangan sa pagsalanta ng Odette,” she said.
When asked about its time frame, Canda said that DBM is expecting the GAA to be signed by the President by the last week of December.
“When is it going to be signed? We expect that the 2022 budget measure will be signed before the year ends, so it’s between after Christmas and until the 29th, these are the days that are open,” she said.
Meanwhile, Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles clarified President Duterte’s statement on the said depleted funds of the government. Nograles explained that the statement is only meant to illustrate the government’s challenges.
“It was made in the context of informing people that we have a lot of challenges. We have spent so much for COVID-19 vaccines, then another challenge is [the devastation brought by] Odette,” he said. –with reports from Naomi Tiburcio/CC- bny
