Cebu City’s disaster office proposes a P350.8-M budget for 2017

CCDRRMO head Nagiel Bañacia presented his department’s proposed budget during the budget hearing on Friday morning. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CCDRRMO) is asking for a P350.8 million budget for next year, up by P58.3 million from its budget allocation this year.

CCDRRMO head Nagiel Bañacia, during the budget hearing this morning, explained to the city council that they will be prioritizing trainings and capability building activities next year.

This was the reason why they were asking for a P47.8 million budget for trainings, consultations, broadcast, advertisements and seminars, which is around ten times more than their approved training budget of only P4.7 million this year.

Other items proposed by the CCDRRMO include relief and recovery (P22 million), DRRM administration and operations (P57 million), public safety and DRRM program base services (P59 million), repair and maintenance of motor vehicles (P17 million), evacuation facilities (P10 million) and rent expenses (P5 million), among others.

The CCDRRMO is also asking for P105 million as quick response fund, which is a mandated 30 percent of the total budget of the CCDRRMO.

But Councilor Joy Pesquera, who heads the committee on budget and finance, told Bañacia to reprioritize their items since some of the items in his proposed budget might have to be taken out since the city treasurer has earlier said that a realistic collection level is only around 80 percent of the city’s target collection of P7.2 billion for 2017.