Task Force Bangon Panay to defend P8.6B budget in Congress
The Task Force Bangon Panay is set to defend the proposed P8.6 billion Paglaum (Hope) Fund today before the members of the committee on appropriations of the House of Representatives.
The Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representative lead by Representative Junie Cua of the Lone District of Quirino will tackle today the proposed P8.6 billion fund for the integrated rehabilitation and restoration program in Panay. The rehabilitation fund is allocated in the number of priority projects that were destroyed when Typhoon Frank hit Iloilo last June 21, killing several persons and destroyed billion worth of properties.
Expected to attend in today's deliberation of House Bill 4824 which contains the Paglaum Fund are task force chair Department of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Raul Banias, who is the same time the executive officer of the task force and Mayor Jerry Treñas among others.
Originally, Hope fund is posted at P15 billion. It was decreased to P13.23 billion then to P10 billion, P9.83 until it reached P8.6 billion. The cut in the proposed rehabilitation fund was recommended by Department of Budget and Management Secretary Rolando Andaya to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Earlier, several congressmen in Iloilo called for the President to certify House Bill 4824 as urgent bill.
The revision on the proposed budget was called for by the budget secretary since the government could not afford the P9.83 billion. With the trimming down of the proposed fund, only priority projects would be prioritized.
The task force is confident to get the support of the members of the committee on appropriations with the proposed Revenue Bill of Antique Lone District Rep. Exequiel Javier as one of the possible sources of fund.
In the revised proposal, 76 percent of the funds would be used for infrastructure projects such as bridges, national highways, nautical highways and local projects. Funds are also allocated in the proposed disaster preparedness training for local government units, purchase of equipment by the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), repair of schools, environment projects, textbooks, computers, and dredging of river control project.
In the priority list, Mayor Treñas placed the dredging of Buntatala and Dungon Creeks as the necessary projects that needs to be funded. The city's other proposed projects to be funded by the Paglaum fund was scrapped. The chief executive wants whatever is apportioned to the city under the rehabilitation fund will go directly in the target projects. (Raphael Locario)