Davao City Council approves P286-M disaster fund

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2017/04/26/davao-city-council-approves-p286-m-disaster-fund-538544
• Wednesday, April 26, 2017

By Karina V. Canedo

THE 18TH Davao City Council approved on Tuesday, April 25, the P286 million Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) for the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (LDRRMP) for 2017.

A total of P286,200,000 has been allocated for the programs identified by the Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

A total of P102,124,980 is allotted for relief and recovery during disasters while the remaining was divided to fund 13 programs for disaster mitigation.

Some P50 million is assigned for the construction and heavy equipment and other machinery equipment to respond during disasters. To ensure immediate mass transport, P30 million was also allotted for mass transport project.

The construction of Central 911 FAS base at the Public Safety and Security Command Center, which is sourced from the 70 percent of the LDRRMF fund, got the third highest amount for disaster mitigation with P25 million.

The LDRRMP also allocated budget for flood mitigation, Geographic Information System, mass transport evacuation, quick delivery of relief goods, interoperability of the local incident management team, mobile animal clinic, establishment of rain water catchment, establishment of Disaster Response Cluster Specialized Teams, improvement of the public safety security complex communications system, and enhanced emergency response capability of District Health Offices of Davao City.

Each project will be handled by identified implementing offices which include the City Engineer’s Office, City Planning and Development Office, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, City Veterinarians Office, City Agriculturist’s Office, Central 911, Public Safety and Security Command Center, and City Health Office.

This year's budget was initially pegged at P386,200,000 but was reduced upon the decision of the council to remove the Davao Riverbed Desiltation program, which was supposed to be implemented by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office.

Davao City Councilor Nilo Abellera Jr., in an interview on Tuesday, said they found that the allotment for the said project is not necessary because many contractors from the private sector have expressed intention to fund the project.