DBM releases P1B for Odette-hit regions

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Friday released the initial P1 billion pledged by President Rodrigo Duterte for response and recovery efforts to Odette-ravaged regions.

In a statement, the DBM said the P1-billion financial assistance shall cover affected local government units in Region IV-B (MIMAROPA), Region VI (Western Visayas Region), Region VII (Central Visayas Region), Region VIII (Eastern Visayas Region), Region X (Northern Mindanao) and Region XIII (Caraga).

These areas have recently been placed under a state of calamity by Duterte due to the devastation caused by Typhoon Odette last week.

Duterte has promised to raise P10 billion for the rehabilitation and recovery efforts in the typhoon-affected areas.

The President made the pledge after he claimed that government coffers had been depleted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duterte's spokesman, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, defended the President's remarks, saying it only meant to show Filipinos the huge challenge the country is facing.

Based on the report of the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) on the number of affected families/persons and on damages incurred on infrastructure and agriculture sectors, the DBM computed the following allocations for the respective regions:

The total funding requirement was charged from the fiscal year 2021 Contingent Fund and shall be released directly by the Bureau of Treasury to the concerned local government units (LGUs) through their respective authorized government servicing banks, the DBM said.

As of Friday, December 24, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said  a total of 3,380,167 people or 870,334 families were affected by the typhoon in 5,508 barangays.

A total of 352,384 persons or 83,903 families were staying inside evacuation centers, while 277,050 individuals or 77,436 families were staying in the houses of their relatives and friends.

At least 348,642 houses were damaged — 228,156 partially and 129,486 totally.—Ted Cordero/KBK, GMA News