MARCH 11, 2016

NR # 4136

Probe OCDs underutilized calamity funds Benitez

A lawmaker from the Visayas Region has questioned the failure of the Office of the
Civil Defense (OCD) to disburse calamity funds amounting to a whopping P923 million,
which could have alleviated the plight of the victims of disasters that hit the country.
Rep. Alfredo B. Benitez (3rd District, Negros Occidental) said the Commission on
Audit (COA), in its 2014 Annual Audit Report on OCD, noted that the Quick Response
Fund (QRF) accumulated to P923,153,721 as of December 2014 but was not utilized as
envisioned and became idle.
The OCD is the implementing arm of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC) tasked to coordinate the activities and functions of
government agencies and private institutions to preserve and protect the people and
property during times of national emergencies.
Benitez filed House Resolution No. 2474 calling for an inquiry into the matter
saying it is the duty of Congress to oversee the utilization of frontline agencies of
donated funds as well as ensure that under spending of calamity funds will not occur in the
future.
The unutilized calamity funds represent the victims that were deprived of
government assistance because of inefficiencies in the bureaucracy that cannot be
tolerated and merits an investigation, Benitez said.
According to Benitez, the COA report said out of the P466 million in foreign and
local donations received by the NDRRMC for various disasters in 2008, only P81 million
or 17 percent, had been disbursed since last year.
Benitez said the bulk of the fund comes from the donations received for Yolanda,
which amount to P137 million but OCD had only released P38.7 million, thereby leaving
a balance of P98.2 million as of December 2014.
Since the funds were not utilized for more than a year, the total balance of P384.9
million from the P466 million donated funds should have been remitted to the Bureau of
Treasury, Benitez said.
For the typhoon Yolanda victims alone, Benitez said the National Housing
Authority (NHA) reported that there is a need to construct 112,574 housing units to meet
the 205,128 total housing requirement.
NHA also reported that out of the P60 billion funding requirement of NHA, only

P26.9 billion had been released by the Department of Budget and Management, and that
P4.3 billion of which was released only in September of this year, Benitez said.
Benitez said a congressional investigation on underutilized calamity funds and the
snail-paced release of funds should be conducted to help the victims of disasters
reconstruct their lives.
The severity of the effects of the recent calamities to our fellowmen had been
witnessed not only by the nation but the entire world as well. Most of the victims are still
trying to rebuild their lives after their traumatic encounters with the recent calamities,
Benitez said. (30) maprs