Use calamity fund for disaster preparedness equipment—DILG

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Interior and Local Government is pushing for the expansion of the use of calamity fund to include the purchase of disaster preparedness equipment to avert huge damages during calamities.

Secretary Jesse Robredo told a news conference Wednesday that he hoped the proposal would be adopted in the Senate, as the proposal had already reached second reading at the House of Representatives.

Robredo said that the proposal would include the expansion of the scope of calamity funds to include safeguards against disasters.

He said that ideally, 70 percent of the fund should be spent on preparedness and mitigation measures and 30 percent for relief operations.

“Of course there will have to be safeguards to protect the calamity fund,” Robredo said.

Robredo cited as an example the fire in Tuguegarao City last Sunday, where 16 people were killed including nursing graduates about to take the licensure exam.

“We really lack fire trucks. The Bureau of Fire Protection is in need of 600 fire trucks. That can be purchased in a span of three years,” he said.

Robredo said it would be better “if we can use the calamity fund not only to purchase trucks but other equipment.” –Abigail Kwok, INQUIRER.net