Dalog, solons assail slow funding of calamity projs

Dangerous Bontoc mountain cited 

By ErlindoAgwilang Jr.

MOUNTAIN PROVINCE Rep. Maximo B. Dalog and other congressmen   questioned the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) over the seemingly slow and lengthy process by which disaster and calamity related projects are being treated, reported, evaluated, monitored and funded especially those requests that needed immediate restoration as these are mainly caused by natural calamities.

In a meeting called by the House Special Committee on North Luzon Growth Quadrangle held at the Nograles Hall, House of Representatives, Quezon City, Dalog cited as an example his endorsement letter addressed to OCD Administrator Alexander P. Pama dated Sept. 7, 2015 relative to the road and bridge infrastructure damages caused by Typhoon Ineng and another endorsement dated Sept. 21, 2015 on the consolidated report of damages of Typhoons Ineng and Lando as evaluated by the Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) and the Mountain Province District Engineering Office (MPDEO).

Dalog further inquired what has happened to the request of the Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe on the reported unstable portion of the Teng-ab Complex which was likewise eroded during the typhoon and which caused the evacuation of 9 families of White Village, Caluttit, Bontoc, Mountain Province.

“May I know what happened to all these requests?” Dalog asked.

In his response, Director Fajardo said the NDRRMC has referred Dalog’s request to the OCD-CAR regional office for assessment and validation.

Fajardo admitted that the process is indeed drawn-out as there a lot of requirements to be completed before a calamity project is funded. Fajardo presented a flowchart in requesting, allocating, releasing, monitoring and reporting of NDRRMC funds. He said first, the LGU concerned will submit requirements to the Municipal/Provincial/Regional Risk Reduction and Management Council before it goes to the OCD regional office for evaluation, prioritization and endorsement. If okay, it is forwarded to the OCD Central Office for evaluation and consolidation then forwarded to the DPWH for re-assessment, validation and endorsement before it is referred back to the NDRRMC.

After these, NDRRMC prepares and forwards its recommendation to the Office of the President for approval and if approved, the former will request the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for issuance of Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA).

And it does not end here, Fajardo revealed that next, DBM issues 100% SARO and 50% NCA before the project is finally implemented by the LGU concerned but is required to submit utilization report/physical and financial status back to DBM and NDRRMC for the issuance of the remaining 50% NCA.

So after the project has been fully implemented, the NDRRMC monitors and submits the utilization report to the the President and the DBM.

With such lengthy process, congressmen present at the committee meeting were apprehensive on the manner by which funding of disaster-related projects are being implemented. 

Rep. Marlyn Primicias-Agabas of the 6th District of Pangasinan expressed disappointment and raised why the many evaluations and assessments considering that these are projects caused by typhoons and natural calamities are in dire need of response and attention. Agabas said that with the flow, another calamity may come to pass and still the funding of previously requested projects have yet to be realized.

Meanwhile, the committee members have begged the OCD to carefully study the process and requested that if possible, the same be shortened and abbreviated to realize the agency’s mission of administering a comprehensive national civil defense and disaster risk reduction and management program by providing leadership in the continuous development of strategic and systematic approaches as well as measures to reduce the vulnerabilities and risks to hazards and manage their consequences.