President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday ordered the realignment of over PHP192 billion originally intended for flood control projects to fund the distribution of emergency aid to areas affected by recent typhoons and future calamities.
During the distribution of assistance to farmers and families affected by recent calamities, Marcos emphasized the need to shift priorities and respond to the urgent needs of displaced and vulnerable Filipinos.
Marcos said the realigned funds originally allotted for flood mitigation projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will now be used to boost emergency relief operations in disaster-hit areas.
“Nais kong ipaalam sa ating mga kababayan na mahigit PHP195 bilyon ang pondo ng DPWH ay ating ia-allocate (I want to inform our fellow Filipinos that over PHP195 billion in DPWH funds will be reallocated),” he said in a speech delivered during the aid distribution at the Speaker Pro Tempore Francisco Ortega Convention Center.
“Nakapag-savings po tayo dahil marami kaming nakitang project na hindi talaga tumutugon sa mga problema. May mga ghost project pa, hindi maganda ang pagkakagawa. Tinigil ko lahat iyan para matiyak natin na tama naman ang paggamit ng pera ninyo. Hindi pera ng gobyerno ito. Pera ng taumbayan ito (We were able to generate savings by halting projects that did not truly address our flood problems. Some were even ghost projects or poorly executed. We stopped all of them to ensure the proper use of public funds. This is not the government’s money. This is the people’s money),” Marcos added.
Marcos said he wants to ensure the proper use of public funds by redirecting the flood control funds to more urgent and meaningful aid programs.
He emphasized the importance of proactive government action, as he warned that another typhoon is expected to hit the country.
“Kaya’t tinitiyak natin na tama ang gawa. Sa kakaimbestiga namin, nakapag-savings po tayo ng malaki. Kaya ‘yung saving po na ‘yun, doon natin kukunin ang mahigit PHP195 bilyon para ilalagay natin sa lahat ng pagtutulong, lahat ng benefits para sa ating mga kababayan (We made sure the projects are right and proper. Through our investigations, we generated substantial savings, and it is from these savings that we are drawing the PHP195 billion we’ll now use for various forms of assistance to our people),” he said.
During the program, Marcos led the distribution of the fuel assistance cards worth PHP3,000 each to 275 farmer-recipients who own or rent agricultural machinery used for crop, livestock, and poultry production, and are registered in the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture.
The Fuel Assistance to Farmers is a project of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to enhance the resiliency and cushion the impact of rising oil prices on the farming sector.
The DA also distributed inorganic fertilizers as a subsidy to farmers for priority commodities like rice, to boost production and yield, reduce farming costs, and promote the balanced use of organic and inorganic fertilizers, while reducing dependence on a single type of fertilizer.
A total of 1,207 fertilizer bags, each weighing 50 kilograms, were also turned over to the local government units of San Fernando City, San Juan and Bacnotan through their respective municipal agriculturists.
Each of 800 families severely affected by recent calamities also received PHP10,179 in cash assistance and family food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development. (PNA)