NHA says funds for Taal evacuees not allotted for proposed 2021 budget

On Wednesday, the National Housing Authority (NHA) has not yet received any budget for the rehabilitation of houses damaged during the Taal eruption in January.

Photo credit: tempo.com.ph

Of the NHA's proposed P63.70-billion budget for 2021, only P2 billion was allowed to be included in the national government's P4.5-trillion spending bill, the agency said during budget deliberations in the Senate.

NHA General Manager Marcelino Escalada Jr. disclosed that no budget for the Taal relocation has been allotted in the agency’s proposed 2021 budget.

We are on the dilemma as to the fund source,

he said.

There are at least 2,600 totally damaged houses near the Taal volcano, while 14,565 other were partially damaged, according to data from the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

We were supposed to receive P1 billion from Department of Budget and Management (DBM), but as of now we have not received that yet,

Escalada said.

To remedy the funding problem, the NHA allowed Taal evacuees to be listed as beneficiaries of existing housing programs, he said.

But as an option and strategy your honor, we have opened up our inventory for the Taal evacuees,

the NHA chief added.

Escalada pointed out that there are close to 10,000 available housing units in the provinces of Batangas, Cavite and Laguna that are being offered to the evacuees.

And about 600 evacuees, he said, had already been relocated in Ibaan, Batangas while the rest have decided to stay in Batangas.

While the NHA operates on a P73-billion budget, most of the funds are already earmarked for other housing projects, Escalada said.

The DHSUD has been asking Congress to increase its 2021 budget by P12 billion, saying only 5 percent of its proposed P76.19-B funding was included in the National Expenditure Program.

You really need assistance because of the very meager budget that is being assigned to you,

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said, noting that the agency needs P30 billion a year to construct 6.57 million homes in the next few years. The government's P9.5-billion intelligence and confidential funds is even higher than the DHSUD's 2021 budget, Drilon said.

In January, the Taal volcano’s explosion incurred P3.40 billion worth of infrastructure and agriculture damage in Batangas, Cavite, and nearby areas and displaced 736, 802 individuals.