DepEd issues guidelines to ensure prudent spending of disaster fund

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) has issued guidelines on the use of its P500-million disaster Quick Response Fund (QRF) to promote “more prudent” spending of the funds.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that since the Philippines was frequently visited by numerous typhoons and other natural calamities, the P500 million QRF was an important standby emergency fund from which DepEd can source funds mainly for the prompt repair, if not replacement, of classrooms and schools destroyed by fire and natural calamities especially those in coastal areas.

“Given the frequency and intensity of calamities, it would be to the best interest of our students to have a readily available fund for rebuilding so as not to disrupt classes,” added Luistro.

QRF is a lump sum amount included in DepEd’s budget fully allocated for repair, reconstruction, or replacement of school buildings and facilities affected by calamities.

Luistro has ordered the department to review the procurement process to ensure a more frugal and prudent use of budget allocation. Programs and projects that are worth scaling up to enhance teaching and learning processes are given priority.

In the guidelines, Luistro declared that calamities that are covered by the QRF are fire, as certified by the local fire department; typhoons or floods, as recorded by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and earthquake or earthquake fire, as recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). –Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star)