Iloilo City allots PHP21.5 million for disaster recovery

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor and Juliane Judilla

A PHP21.5 million budget will be used for Iloilo City’s recovery efforts following the onslaught of the southwest monsoon, compounded by damage from Typhoons Crising, Dante and Emong.

The City Council, in its regular session on Wednesday, July 30, approved the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) resolution placing the city under a state of calamity.

The recommendation was made by the CDRRMC, chaired by Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas, following an emergency meeting a day earlier.

“[The declaration] aims to support a transformative and strategic approach to disaster response and recovery to deliver immediate relief to affected families and address the underlying vulnerabilities and systemic risks exacerbated by the southwest monsoon and successive tropical cyclones,” the resolution stated.

The recovery fund will be sourced from the city’s PHP62 million Quick Response Fund (QRF).

According to CDRRMC data, 56,881 individuals have been affected — 44,723 by flooding and 12,158 by storm surges — out of an exposed population of 240,304, with a projected affected population of 38,062.

These figures meet the threshold for a calamity declaration under the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.

Of the PHP21.5 million allocation, PHP20 million will go to the development of relocation sites in Barangays West Habog-Habog and San Juan in Molo district.

The site sits on a city-purchased lot near the boundary of the two barangays.

Another PHP1.4 million will be used for food assistance to affected families, and PHP100,000 will fund the procurement of vegetable seeds.

As of July 28, the CDRRMC reported that 47 houses were damaged — 15 totally destroyed and 32 partially damaged.

Flooding affected 94 barangays, displacing 128 families or 449 individuals who were forced to evacuate.

‘MISPRIORITIZATION’

Progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)–Panay criticized the city government’s use of the QRF, calling the PHP20 million allocation for relocation sites a “gross misprioritization.”

“The QRF is meant for immediate, life-saving interventions — such as food, potable water, emergency shelter and sanitation — not for infrastructure or capital outlay,” the group said in a statement.

“Site development is a long-term rehabilitation measure and must be funded through a separate budget, not at the expense of urgent needs,” it added.

Bayan–Panay emphasized that only PHP1.4 million was allocated for food assistance and just PHP100,000 for vegetable seeds — amounts they said fall short of meeting immediate humanitarian needs.

The group also cited failed or problematic past city projects, including the defective Ungka Flyover and the canceled PHP6.8-billion housing project for city employees, as cautionary examples.

“These are reminders of how public funds can be misused,” Bayan said.

“We don’t want the QRF to suffer the same fate.”

The group called for an immediate realignment of the QRF to prioritize emergency shelter kits, food assistance, and other urgent needs.

They also demanded full transparency and an independent review of how the funds will be spent.

“We urge all Ilonggos to stay alert and demand accountability,” Bayan–Panay said.