Pimentel: Realign P9-B confidential, intel funds to govt's 2023 calamity response

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III is pushing for realignment of the over P9 billion confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) under the proposed 2023 national budget for the government’s standby money for calamity response.

In a statement on Thursday, Pimentel expressed support to the proposed augmentation of the P31 billion National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) or calamity fund under the 2023 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) as the country experiences an average of 20 tropical cyclones a year.

Although the proposed budget for calamity fund is already 55% higher than this year’s allocation of P20 billion, Pimentel said “it could easily be proven insufficient.”

“We must ensure that resources are immediately available and accessible both by the national and local government. Let us cut confidential and intelligence funds and re-channel this much-needed allocation to strengthen our disaster response capabilities,” Pimentel said.

Pimentel mentioned the “record-breaking” P9.29 billion CIFs under the proposed budget for next year.

Of the said amount, P4.5 billion will be allocated to the Office of the President; P806 million to the Philippine National Police; and P500 million to the Office of the Vice President; P500 million to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

“These funds can be used instead to beef up the weather forecasting capabilities of [Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services], build houses damaged by typhoons and earthquake, and repair damaged roads and bridges,” Pimentel said.

“Could they use their intelligence funds to monitor typhoons and floods and give us the much-needed early warnings?”

On Wednesday, Senate finance committee chairperson Sonny Angara said they are open to adjusting the funding for calamity aids under the proposed 2023 national budget.

The Senate is expected to begin next week the plenary debates on the P5.268 trillion proposed national budget for next year.

In a separate statement, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the aftermath of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng will be considered largely in the deliberations of the proposed budget for 2023.

Zubiri issued the statement after visiting Zamboanga City, Maguindanao del Norte, Cotabato City, Maguindanao del Sur, and  Sultan Kudarat to provide relief goods to families affected by Paeng.

“Mindanao will be needing sustained aid after Paeng… We also need to push for long-term solutions. We cannot continue to be reactive when it comes to disaster management, especially since there are lives at stake. We keep learning this the hard way. We have already lost over a hundred lives to Paeng,” he said.

“Paeng will figure largely in our budget deliberations, once they start in the Senate next week. We will have to consult with the NDRRMC and local governments to assess our recovery roadmap,” he added.

Zubiri pointed out the need to streamline the country’s response systems and for a strengthened national authority that will be able to effectively coordinate national and local actors not only for disaster response but especially preparedness and mitigation.

During his visit to Paeng-hit communities, Zubiri also asked the local government officials  to specify what they need to rebuild and recover so they can tackle it in the Senate next week.

The latest NDRRMC report showed that damage to agriculture due to Paeng now stands at P2.441 billion. The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) reported P1.475 million worth of damage.

Damage to infrastructure, meanwhile, was pegged at P2.833 billion. —KBK, GMA News