Senate to hear P12B calamity fund Tuesday

Congress has agreed to increase the P10 billion proposed supplemental calamity fund to P12 billion, Senator Edgardo Angara said on Monday as he promised to sponsor the joint resolution authorizing the use of the fund in the plenary during Tuesday's session. Angara, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said this was agreed upon during a recent meeting with Quirino Rep. Junie Cua, chairman of the appropriations committee at the House of Representatives. He said the new amount would cover the devastation wrecked by typhoon "Pepeng" in northern Luzon over the weekend. He said the P10 billion only covered the cost of damages of last year's typhoon "Frank" and last month's tropical storm "Ondoy."

“At the time we agreed on P10 billion, there were only two corresponding typhoons, Frank and Ondoy. At the same time came Pepeng, which caused a wider swat of destruction. Itong Pepeng hindi natin na-anticipate ito (We didn't anticipate Pepeng)," Angara told reporters. He said the P12 billion would be sourced from the un-programmed funds in the 2009 budget. Angara said the joint resolution would not have a breakdown to avoid delay. “Bahala na ang line agencies mag-allocate (We will allow the agencies to make the allocations)," he said. He said he is confident that the Senate would approve the measure on Tuesday as it was certified urgent by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. “I’m sure they (senators) will ask questions to ensure that this will not be misappropriated. That is quite understandable. We already have a consensus that the people really need this measure," Angara said. The House on Monday night approved on third reading the joint resolution. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri moved the waiving of the three-day notice rule to allow the finance committee to hear the joint resolution on the supplemental budget. Under a normal situation, a three-day notice should be observed upon the filing of a resolution or measure before the conduct of a hearing. - GMANews.TV