A congressman from the lowest-lying province in the Bicol region on Thursday urged the the creation of a multiyear P20-billion fund for the rehabilitation of the Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine”-devastated region.
Camarines Sur (CamSur) Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte proposed the establishment of a multiyear Bicol Rehabilitation and Recovery Fund (BRRF) with an initial outlay of P20 billion in 2025.
According to the lawmaker, the single biggest undertaking the government can carry out with the proposed BRRF is to revive the long-discontinued Bicol River Basin Development Program (BRBDP), which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to “revisit” as a long-term solution to the region’s chronic flooding.
“Given the worse-than-expected damage inflicted by Kristine, especially in CamSur where most barangays were submerged for the first time ever in above-head or roof-level floods, a special rehabilitation and recovery program and funding is crucial for putting Bicol back on its feet soon enough—for instance, that P10 billion was allocated for an ad hoc Commission that was put up in the 1990s to oversee the quick recuperation of Luzon provinces devastated by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo,” Villafuerte said.
But with the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) of P6.352 trillion already passed by the House of Representatives, Villafuerte expressed hope that “senators could realign funds or find new fund sources for this proposed BRRF once they take up the House-approved national budget bill when the 19th Congress reopens next week.”
“The House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Martin (Romualdez) could then concur with such a funding proposal in the bicam (bicameral conference committee) process that will happen later to reconcile a final 2025 GAA bill for ratification by both chambers and then for submission to Malacañan for the President’s approval and signature into law,” Villafuerte said.
