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PHP25.14B calamity funds unspent as pandemic rages Inquirer


CMFR
10 May 2021

CHEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for its May 3 breakthrough story on the billions-worth of unspent government calamity funds despite the hospital system's near collapse and the acute shortage of medical supplies, oxygen and other equipment during the current COVID-19 health crisis.

Reporter Ben de Vera examined DBM data showing that PHP5.14 billion from the 2020 calamity fund and the entire PHP20 billion set aside this year were untouched as of the end of March. The report prompted lawmakers to look into the issue.

The Inquirer obviously caught the government off-guard. Media had not been paying attention to the use of allocated budgets for the pandemic, even as the response has been obviously under-funded. On the same day, the story provoked a Palace statement which tried to brush away the charge that government was not spending what was available to ensure more effective measures against the pandemic. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque displayed his typical lack of connection with how the pandemic has devastated the majority of Filipinos. He maintained that the amount was "bloated" and that there was "not much delay" in the disbursement of these funds, adding that money would be released as the need arises.

On May 4, other media organizations picked up a release from DBM which explained that around P19.45 billion of the PHP 25 billion calamity fund has yet to be released, part of which would be tapped for COVID-19 efforts. Meanwhile, the Inquirer also reported how senators quickly announced probes on the issue. On May 3, Senator Risa Hontiveros, who said it was "crucial" to evaluate pandemic expenses, filed a resolution calling for a special audit on the government's spending of Bayanihan funds. On May 4, Senator Sonny Angara, chair of the finance committee, told the Inquirer they had sent questions to the different agencies and were awaiting information on unspent calamity funds.

De Vera's report called attention to a crucial question about the government's pandemic response - where was the money that President had requested from Congress to be able to address the crisis along with the re-allocated funds? On the inadequacy of subsidies for the poor, the president had said in 2020 that there was no more money. The public mind had been primed to accept that government did not have sufficient funds. But social media roiled with a backlash of anger about the lack of social amelioration for those in need and the slow rollout of the vaccine program. Additionally, the current surge of the disease showed up the failure to expand and improve the capacity of the health care system which was already under severe pressure even in 2020.

CMFR notes that meanwhile, more than half of its PHP 19.1 billion budget this year had already been released for the government's controversial anti-insurgency task force, National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) - revealing the administration's misplaced priorities.

This report has gone far in underscoring the failure of government to spend available money to upgrade and improve its systems and strategies in order to deal with the catastrophe. The same report urged Congress to announce that it will exercise its oversight over budget implementation, checking and probing how the budget it has approved has been put to good use or mis-used.

Media should not let off in their investigation. The government has failed the public with the poorly funded measures with which it responded to the onslaught of the virus. People deserve an explanation why, given the available funds, the administration did not put them to good use to protect and save lives.

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