MANILA — The government is confident about securing funding to implement the rehabilitation and reconstruction of war-torn Marawi City and other devastated areas nearby, which reportedly requires a budget of PHP53.42 billion over the next five years.
Adoracion Navarro, Undersecretary for Regional Development of the National Economic and development Authority (NEDA), said some PHP26.16 billion is needed for this year; and PHP27.25 billion from 2019 to 2022.
Navarro, however, explained that these are only estimated figures for the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Program (BMCRRP), and they may still change as vetting is ongoing.
“I believe that government, especially the agencies headed by the economic managers are confident that we will be able to fund the requirement for this year. The private sector and ODA (official development assistance) partners actually they are very much committed,” she said in a press briefing on Monday.
For 2018, Navarro said PHP10 billion will come from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF), and provisional PHP5 billion under the unprogrammed appropriations in this year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA).
She noted ODA partners Japan pledged 2 billion yen (PHP970 million), while China, 150 million yuan (PHP1.23 billion).
“Australia has ongoing humanitarian and recovery assistance in the amount of 24.02 million Australian dollars. There is an underdetermined amount of technical support from the World Bank,” she added.
Navarro said other fund sources for 892 programs, projects and activities (PPAs) are national government agencies and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) budgets in the annual GAA and internal revenue allotment of local government units.
“Donations from the private sector and non-government agencies and other non-profit organizations are also fund sources. There are PPAs which are funded by them particularly those for permanent housing, livelihood assistance and provision of education facilities,” she added.
The NEDA official further said physical infrastructure sector will require a budget of PHP26.15 billion, or less than half of the total PHP53.42 billion.
Navarro said 252 PPAs for physical infrastructure sector include rehabilitation/construction of transportation infrastructure and utilities, social infrastructure, livelihood and tourism support facilities, and government facilities.
Other key PPAs are housing settlement, with investment requirement of PHP10.38 billion; livelihood and business development, PHP7.77 billion; social services, PHP5.87 billion; land resource management, PHP2 billion; and local governance and peace building, PHP1.25 billion, she added. (Leslie Gatpolintan/PNA)
