THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced last Thursday its chief has approved the release of P716.15 million to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to replenish the agency’s quick response fund (QRF).
A statement issued by the DBM read that the allocation is expected to be used to procure and stockpile family food packs and non-food items in DSWD warehouses. The statement added these items are expected to benefit around 424,681 families.
The DBM added that the fund is expected to be used for ‘Emergency Cash Transfers’ for some 41,502 households affected by the Southwest Monsoon and Tropical Cyclones ‘Mirasol,’ ‘Nando,’ and ‘Opong’ in Regions V, IV-B and II.
Moreover, the fund is expected to support transport and delivery services, stand-by funds for regional offices, and other logistical support needed to swiftly distribute relief goods and emergency assistance.
‘This replenishment helps guarantee the DSWD can continue to provide food, shelter, and cash aid to families when they need it most,’ DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman was quoted in the statement as saying.
The DBM said the amount released to DSWD will be charged against the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Fund under the FY 2025 General Appropriations Act (Republic Act 12116).
Data from the DBM showed P13.034 billion was released from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Fund from January to September this year. The NDRRM Fund may be used to provide aid, relief and rehabilitation to affected communities. It can also be used to repair and rebuild infrastructure damaged by natural or human-induced calamities within the current or past two years.
So far, P7.965 billion remains in the balance of the NDRRM Fund, which government agencies can still tap until the end of the year.
There is also P1 billion in People’s Survival Fund, an annual allocation to provide long-term finance stream for adaptation projects to increase the resilience of communities and ecosystems to climate change, under the NDRRM Fund.
The DSWD QRF is a standby fund that first response agencies can tap to immediately provide relief and assist areas stricken by catastrophes and crises. If the QRFs of first response agencies reach 50 percent or lower, they may request replenishment to the DBM, which will be approved by the Office of the President.