ILOILO CITY-- Iloilo City Acting Mayor Jose Espinosa III on Friday ordered the conduct of special meetings for budget processing after learning that the local disaster reduction management (LDRRM) fund was underspent.
In a post-assessment following the flooding that hit this city three days ago, Espinosa found out that some members of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Council (CDRRMC) have no knowledge about budgeting processes. This resulted in their failure to propose projects as pre-emptive measure in cases of disasters and calamities.
“Supposed to be it has to be zeroed by the end of the year. If unspent, meaning to say we are remiss in responding to our people,” he said in an interview Friday.
The 2017 local disaster risk reduction management fund (LDRRMF) quick response fund (QRF) has PHP31.349 million appropriation. As of September 14, 2017 only PHP500,000 was utilized.
Big appropriation such as PHP1.5 million fund for the committee on response; PHP3 million for disaster preparedness under training expenses; PHP1 million each for the committee on prevention and mitigation and CDRRM office; PHP1.7 million for committee on disaster preparedness under the printing and publication expenses and another PHP1 million for committee on prevention and mitigation under the printing and publication expenses were not utilized.
Espinosa has directed City Administrator lawyer Hernando Galvez and Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) chair of Social Services and Disaster Relief Committee Julie Grace L. Barona to have a “special meeting on budget.”
“Everybody should prepare their budget before our meeting next week. It should be presented in one paper during our meeting,” he said.
In addition to the conduct of special meetings, the council also approved that member of committees of the council meet on a regular basis. The once in a quarter meeting “is too long,” he said.
The council also eyed an agreement with the Iloilo 4x4 Club for availability of their resources during emergencies; operationalization of an emergency broadcast telecommunication in partnership with the Iloilo City Hall Press Corps; partnership with the Panay Amateur Radio Club (PARC), a radio communications group; to equip the CDRRMO operation center with communications to get in touch with communication system of villages; utilize closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras of barangays; establish a permanent operations center and establish a district disaster cluster.
Heavy rains and flooding brought by tropical “Maring” and enhanced by habagat affected 24 villages of Iloilo City on Tuesday.
The weather condition also resulted to the evacuation of 169 families composed of 719 individuals and suspension of classes. (PNA)
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Topic: Iloilo City wants use of disaster fund maximized (Read 259 times)