UNFAZED by possible threats from supporters of the Dutertes, President Ferdinand Marcos led the distribution of almost P300 million financial aid in localities devastated by ‘doublet earthquake’ in Caraga and Davao Oriental last week.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) assured the Executive branch of the government that it still has a sufficient budget to replenish the Quick Response Fund (QRF) of concerned government agencies, which is used for their disaster response, for now.
In a press briefing in Malacañang on Monday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the chief executive is confident he will face no security risk from Davaoeños since he was bringing them disaster relief.
‘Our President will not be afraid to go to any region of our country because he is the President and he will help all our countrymen in need,’ she said.
Marcos is currently at odds with the Dutertes after the government turned over former President Rodrigo R. Duterte to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in March.
The former chief executive is currently detained at the Hague, where he faces charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the deaths of at least 6,000 suspects from the Duterte administration’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs and other crimes.
In a recent statement, Congressman Paolo ‘Pulong’ Z. Duterte, the son of the former President, said he will make those responsible for the arrest of his father ‘pay for their crimes.’
Castro decried the threat, which she said has no place in a ‘civilized society,’ which is governed by the rule of law.
Financial support
On Monday, Marcos went to the municipalities of Manay and Tarragona in Davao Oriental, where he announced the allocation of P298 million in financial aid from the Office of the President to the quake-hit areas.
‘It’s up to the LGU [local government units] how they will use it,’ President Marcos said during the situation briefing he presided over outside the Tarragona Municipal Hall in Davao Oriental.
Davao Oriental and Caraga were rocked by separate earthquakes with magnitudes 7.4 and 6.8 on 10 October 2025.
In its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that the earthquakes killed at least 8 people and injured 403 others. Both natural disasters have affected 520,185 people and damaged 2,102 houses and 548 infrastructures as of 6 am of 13 October 2025.
The Office of the President (OP) has allocated financial assistance to the following affected LGUs: P50 million to Davao Oriental; P15 million each to the municipalities of Manay, Banaybanay and Lupon; P10 million each to Mati City and the municipalities of Tarragona, Baganga, Boston, and Cateel; P5 million each to the municipalities of Caraga and San Isidro; and P3 million to the municipality of Governor Generoso.
For the Caraga region, the government distributed cash aid to the following areas: P20 million to Agusan del Sur province; P15 million to the provinces of Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte and Davao Occidental, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Dinagat Islands, and Davao City.
DBM also released the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) of the quake-affected provinces.
Sufficient fund
Castro said DBM also clarified that it has a contingent fund, which it can tap to replenish the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Fund this year.
‘We spoke directly with the DBM leadership and according to DBM, even if the NDRRM funds are depleted, we still have 12.005 billion [pesos] in the contingent fund; and even if the contingent fund is depleted because of the calamities happening one after another in our country, we can expect that if there is excess revenue, we will get it from unprogrammed appropriations from SAGIP (Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure and Social Programs),’ Castro explained.
During a hearing in the House of Representatives last week, DBM explained that SAGIP, which was used to finance infrastructure projects, will no longer be used for such public works upon the proposal of lawmakers.
Infrastructure projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways, particularly flood control projects, are currently facing investigation from Congress and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) due to possible irregularities.
Last week, Marcos said he will ask Congress for assistance in replenishing the Quick Response Funds (QRF) of concerned government agencies, which he said is now nearing depletion due to the series of typhoons and earthquakes, which hit the country in previous weeks.
‘So far, we have not heard anything about the President’s talks with Congress. I have not been given an update on that,’ Castro said.
Under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the government has allocated P7.73 billion for the QRF, which is included in the NDRRM Fund or also known as Calamity Fund.