Press Release
October 1, 2009

Zubiri to Malacanang: Release funds to subsidize Ondoy victims,
purchase of portalets in rescue areas

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri today urged President Arroyo to order the release of subsidy funds for the purchase of portable toilets (portalets) and urinals in resettlement areas and rescue centers.

The Majority Leader expressed concern over reports that only one toilet is being shared by 3,000 evacuees in a covered basketball court in Cainta, Rizal, which is serving as temporary shelter for the neighborhood of San Andres.

"This is a very serious concern. This will post problems of cholera and other types of diseases to our kababayans, especially the children. We should not take these things for granted," Zubiri said.

The senator also urged the president to likewise order the release of additional subsidy funds, totaling to P150,000 at P1,000 per affected families.

He said, of the estimated 200,000 to 300,000 families hit by tropical storm Ondoy only 150,000 families will be given financial assistance as many of the other families come from the upper-middle class or middle-class families.

"We can only help the poorest of the poor families which is about 150,000, and these families don't have any bank accounts, savings and even stable job. These people are basically the informal settlers with very low income," he said.

Zubiri said the proposal was expressed and relayed by the Senate panel to Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya in their meeting with members of the House of Representatives and some Cabinet officials held at Sofitel Hotel on Tuesday.

He said the funds for the purchase of portalets and the fund subsidy for the affected families are part of the short term solutions which the upper and lower houses agreed to undertake for the immediate relief of the survivors of tropical storm Ondoy.

"On the long term, we (Senate) will approve a P10 billion fund. This is already agreed by both sides, the Senate and the House of Representatives to augment the calamity fund," he said.

The Majority Leader said the P10 billion supplemental budget will be used to augment government's dwindling calamity fund.

He said based on figures from Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro, government only has P27 million to utilize for disasters and calamities, "so the P10 billion fund will address the calamities of 2008 and 2009, but bulk of the fund or 70 percent of the fund will be used to assist the victims of Ondoy.

He said the source of funds for the supplemental budget will not be a problem because the National Treasury had said it could source out the P10 billion from the bonds that will be released this week.

The Majority Leader expressed confidence that "the Senate and the House are still on track" adding that if the House was able to file the Supplemental Budget Bill on Wednesday, it can be approved by Monday and transmitted to the Senate by Tuesday.

The chairman of the Senate finance committee could then immediately call for a hearing and approve it on second reading on Wednesday. "Anyway we can ask the president to certify it, so we approve it on third reading that same day and ask again the president to sign it," he also said.

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