THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has increased the budget allocation for some 384 potable water projects and road right-of-way (ROW) acquisitions in the 2019 national budget.
Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said some P1.55 billion was set aside in the 2019 budget for the water-supply projects under the Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig para sa Lahat (Salintubig) program, which aims to bring potable water supply to some 157 municipalities nationwide,” even as some P56.3 billion funding has been allocationed for ROW acquisitions, up from P36.7 billion this year.
The DBM said the water-supply projects would be administered and monitored by the Department of the Interior and Local Government to address the lack of proximate sources of safe drinking water for communities in the hinterlands or in cramped urban communities.
He said the amount was 12 percent higher than the 2018 level, with Eastern Visayas getting the largest share with P163.5 million for 43 projects, followed by Central Visayas and Cagayan Valley with P160.4 million and P135.7 million, respectively.
The DBM said more than 500,000 households from 297 municipalities have already benefited from the Salintubig project since its implementation in 2012.
“Clean water and sanitation is one of the Sustainable Development Goals identified by the United Nations. The government fully supports this by ensuring that more funds are invested in this endeavor,” Diokno added.
For road ROW acquisition, Diokno said the DBM has set aside a “significantly larger” allocation in the proposed 2019 national budget, with P29.4 billion allocated to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and P26.9 billion to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
In 2017 the ROW budget was slightly lower at P34 billion, with P19.6 billion and P14.7 billion allocated to the DPWH and the DOTr, respectively.
In addition, the National Irrigation Administration was allotted P30 million to settle ROW issues in 2017 and 2018. The amount would increase to P200 million in 2019, the DBM said.
The proposed total ROW allocation has included the National Housing Authority with P577 million for its resettlement program, “part of the amount would cover the cost incurred from ROW acquisitions.”
The DBM said the resettlement costs were already part of the ROW budgets for both DPWH and DOTr.
The DBM said Republic Act 10572, also known as “The Right-of-Way Act,” was ratified in 2016 to make it easier for the national government to expropriate private land for infrastructure projects and public service facilities.
The DBM on Wednesday, likewise, bared the release of some P662.5 million to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the aftermath of Typhoon Rosita’s onslaught in Northern Luzon and for forthcoming typhoons that may possibly affect the country.
In a news statement released on Wednesday, the DBM said disbursement would cover the replenishment of the quick response fund (QRF) being tapped for relief and rehabilitation in case of disasters and calamities.
This was the third time that the DSWD QRF was replenished this year. Prior to the replenishment, the balance of DSWD QRF amounted to around P637 million.
According to the DSWD request, the allotment will be used for the purchase of family food packs, the conduct of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management programs, such as purchase of relief supplies, cash or food-for-work programs, shelter assistance and as a standby fund.
Meanwhile, Malacañang reported that the DSWD has provided a total of P834,304.90 worth of assistance together with the local government units.
Citing the Situation Report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) as of 6 a.m., a total of 11,878 families, or 38,398 persons, were affected in 478 barangays in Regions 1, 2, 3 and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); and a total of 8,864 families, or 32,519 persons, were preemptively evacuated in the said regions.
Moreover, the NDRRMC report said there are already a total of 10 incidents, which include landslide and flooding in Regions 2 and the CAR.
As of this writing, five bodies have been recovered and dozens are feared dead after a landslide occurred in the Mountain Province.
“The Palace wishes to express its deep condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims who perished in Natonin, Mountain Province, when the Department of Public Works and Highways [DPWH] building was covered by a landslide, along with others who died due to the typhoon. Efforts to look for survivors are currently ongoing and we pray for the rescue of those still trapped or missing,” Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo said in a news statement.
The President has also directed all government agencies to immediately respond and undertake measures to help the victim and families and to rehabilitate the typhoon-ravaged areas, including the clearing and repairing of roads that have become inaccessible or impassable.
“PRRD [President Duterte] is on top of the situation, and he, together with the rest of the members of Cabinet, will visit the affected areas to assess the situation. The public can count on the government that it will undertake all necessary actions and not take a load off, if need be, during this time of adversity,” Panelo added.
With Bernadette D. Nicolas