The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has adopted a resolution amending the guidelines on access to the NDRRM Fund for the repair, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of infrastructure in disaster-stricken areas.
The measure was tackled during an emergency full council meeting presided over by NDRRMC chair and Defense Sec. Gilberto Teodoro, Jr., the agency said in a news release.
The council tackled the amendments that seek to expand the access of the local government units to the NDRRM Fund.
The resolution revokes the guidelines specified in the NDRRMC Memorandum Circular 1, s. 2024 that prioritizes only the fourth to sixth income class LGUs and require first to third income class LGUs for a local counterpart fund.
The resolution stated, the “NDRRM Fund may be utilized to repair, reconstruct, or rehabilitate local or national infrastructure regardless of income classification when such are vital for access and connectivity and are necessary for response or early recovery as certified by the regional directors of the Office of Civil Defense and the Department of Public Works and Highways in disaster-affected regions.”
Meanwhile, the local counterpart fund refers to the portion of the approved requested fund that the LGUs must shoulder depending on their income class.
With the adoption of the resolution, the counterpart funding requirement is now repealed.
In a Feb. 7 briefing on the effects of the northeast monsoon and trough of a low pressure area in Davao City, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directed various agencies to fast-track the repair of damaged infrastructure, especially those that are essential in response operations. – PNA
