MANILA, Philippines — According to the Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the unused funds from the rehabilitation program for Yolanda hit areas and families are at P7.5 billion.
Five billion pesos of which, Lorenza said will be used for the rehabilitation of Marawi City this year.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allocated P5-billion to pre-development expenses of the conflict-torn area.
Of the said amount, P1-billion is allocated for the temporary housing of displaced families, P3.4 billion will go to relief operations for affected individuals, P300 million is allotted for efforts to maintain peace and order in the area and P80 million will go to the repair and construction of infrastructure and information.
“This money has already been allocated. We will start expending this immediately once we secure SARO ( Special Allotment Release Order) releases from DBM,” he added.
Lorenzana, however, noted that the said amount does not cover the entire reconstruction program for Marawi City.
“This P5 billion does not include reconstruction. This is just for support of the evacuees so that they will also, so they will be able to sustain their daily needs. We have spent a huge amount for the food of the evacuees,” said Lorenzana.
The Defense secretary said the military still has to clear the roadblocks in Marawi City until the end of this year. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also has to conduct post-assessment in the area and create a master plan before implementing a reconstruction program next year.
Lorenza assured that there would be no problem in the use of funds from the Yolanda program, noting it will only be allocated to the rehabilitation of Marawi City. — Joan Nano| UNTV News & Rescue
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