ILOILO – The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) has P270,111,458.78 solely for responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“We’re tapping the savings of PDRRMC. Unutilized funds for various past programs would be reprogrammed for our COVID-19 responses,” said Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
The unutilized PDRRMC funds were from 2016 to 2019. These were:
* P6.5 million unexpended programmed budget on El Niño measures in 2016
* P93 million unexpended budget for the construction of evacuation centers in 2018
* P31.5 million unimplemented programmed budget on El Niño measures in 2019
* P69 million unexpended from the PDRRMC fund (unprogrammed)
* P70 million capital outlay (continuing appropriations from 2014 to 2018)
Defensor said these funds would augment the budgets of various local government units for their respective COVID-19 responses.
The provincial government itself may also come up with programs for the current public health concern such as procuring relief goods for those economically displaced by the ongoing enhanced community quarantine, or just release financial assistance to them, said Defensor.
The fund may also be utilized to address the needs of frontliners such as healthcare workers.
Defensor recently came up with general guidelines on the utilization of provincial funds vis-à-vis the implementation of Executive Order Number 080 imposing the enhanced community quarantine. These were:
* for purchase of personal protective equipment (PPEs) such as alcohol and sanitizers, head cover, disinfectants, gloves, aprons, medical masks, eye protection (goggles or face shields) and such other similar protective devices and supplies
* food package for frontliners, healthcare workers and those conducting checkpoints and monitoring persons under quarantine
* fuel and lubricant expenses
* purchase of thermal scanners and similar medical devices, including medicines and medical supplies
* tarpaulins, signages and purchase of supplies for information, education campaign on the preventive measures for COVID-19 and other relate activities
* purchase of relief goods for suspected COVID-19 cases
* other elated and necessary expenses/PN
