Auditing calamity funds

EDITORIAL

How calamity funds are used – or rather whether these were judiciously used is a question most often asked by ordinary citizens of this blighted republic after every calamity like storms pass by.

The billions of pesos allocated for so called Calamity Funds have never been fully explained how these were used to the last centavo considering that the government will no longer augment the country’s calamity fund for the remainder of the year since the remaining amount is more than sufficient to respond to and rehabilitate typhoon-relate1d damages.

Secretary Florencio Abad of the Department of Budget and Management recently said the remaining calamity fund amounting to P4 billion for the rest of the year was more than enough to cover rehabilitation costs and quick-response measures in the aftermath of Typhoon Pedring (international codename: Nesat). He said the P4-billion calamity fund can cover rehabilitation costs for the rest of the year, even with more typhoons expected to come in for the rest of the year.

But Abad said there was need to replenish the quick response fund of the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Budget department would be releasing P250 million for it. According to Abad, his agency is only waiting for reports from the Public Works department before it releases additional funds.

“We won’t wait for a comprehensive report, as is the previous practice, before releasing funds so rehabilitation efforts could start as soon as possible. This would reduce the lag time between the calamity and the actual start of rehabilitation,” he said. If this is the case, what is the basis in concrete terms for releasing funds, say, per province?

Damage to property and agricultural crops caused by Pedring was estimated to be at P3.4 billion. Earlier, President Benigno Aquino 3rd beefed up the calamity fund by P1.75 billion. This amount was on top of the P5 billion appropriated under this year’s budget to ensure the country could withstand typhoon-related destruction and provide livelihood to victims and would-be victims of natural disasters.

Considering these huge funds, can the government be more transparent in reporting how the funds were used so the people would not think taxpayers’ money has gone to waste?