Press Release
November 19, 2013

POE PROPOSES 'SPECIAL HELP FUND'
IN THE WAKE OF TYPHOON YOLANDA'S WRATH

In the wake of massive devastation caused by Typhoon ''Yolanda," Sen. Grace Poe has proposed the inclusion of a special assistance fund in the proposed 2014 national budget to aid victims and finance the reconstruction of severely hit provinces in the country.

"We must enable our typhoon-affected people and provinces to promptly recover from the devastation and rebuild their homes and livelihood," Poe said.

In Poe's Senate Resolution No. 369 filed Monday, Poe said a P10-billion special fund may be sourced from specific items in the budget: the Feasibility Studies Fund, Unprogrammed Funds, Road Users' Fund, Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, a portion of the income and savings of government agencies and government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), and other programmed items--based on consultations with concerned departments and agencies.

Yolanda, one of the strongest typhoons to hit the globe this year, battered at least 41 provinces including Leyte, Samar, Cebu, Iloilo and Palawan, and affected 4.5 million Filipinos including many who lost homes and need food and clean water, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Poe strongly called on GOCCs to donate a portion of their income, which they plan to allocate as performance incentives, to severely affected provinces.

At the same time, Poe is urging the Upper Chamber to review the mandate of the NDRRMC to heighten its capability to manage disasters and risk reduction efficiently.

Many lives were lost and thousands remain missing amid huge economic losses sustained by the country following the typhoon.

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