MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has urged the two chambers of Congress to pass a supplemental budget amounting to P30 billion to aid the victims of the Taal volcano eruption.
“I will ask Congress to expedite… P30 billion would cover your everything. ‘Yung tulong na ninyo sa livestocks pati sa mga bahay,” Duterte said in a speech during his visit at Sto. Tomas City in Batangas on Monday night
According to Duterte, the Congress just needs to ask from the National Treasury to have the supplemental budget.
“There is money and we will just have to ask from the National Treasurer kung magkulang,” the President said.
“Itong pangyayaring ito hindi naman kasali sa budgeting. Hindi naman natin akalaing puputok so baka magkaroon tayo ng supplemental budget sa Congress,” he added.
President Duterte also took the opportunity to urge the lawmakers to provide funding for the construction of permanent evacuation centers nationwide, particularly in Samar, Isabela and Cagayan.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives leadership on Tuesday assured its support to the request of President Duterte for the passage of a P30-billion supplemental budget to augment the funds needed to aid areas affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano.
“Under the leadership of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, we assure that the House of Representatives would give the highest priority to the request of President Duterte for Congress to fast-track the approval of a P30 billion supplemental budget for areas affected by the Taal Volcano eruption,” House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said in a statement.
“If need be, the House leadership is even willing to increase the amount of the supplemental budget to as much as P50 billion for the sake of our kababayans there,” he added.
Romualdez said the House is committed to show compassion to the victims of the Taal Volcano eruption and provide them with long-term and permanent solutions to their problems.
“We are going to coordinate with the Palace to get the full details of the supplemental budget,” he added.
An Alert Level 4 was raised by state volcanologists over Taal Volcano since the phreatic eruption on January 12, the alert signifying that a hazardous eruption was “imminent.”/PN