LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – The Provincial Disaster Resiliency Council of Ilocos Norte has recently approved the 2025 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Fund and Plan amounting to P121,351,860.26 for disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.
Provincial DRRM Officer Marcel Tabije explained that 70%, or P84,946,302.18, will proceed to preparedness, prevention and mitigation, and rehabilitation and recovery while 30%, or P36,405,558.08, will be allocated for the quick response fund.
“For the preparedness pillar, we allotted P51.8 million; for the prevention and mitigation, we allotted P20.7 million; and for rehabilitation and recovery, we have P12.3 million. For quick response, we have P36.4 million, which will be used for our disaster response operations for the different programs and activities the council will conduct next year,” Tabije explained.
During the 4th Quarter Provincial Resiliency Council Meeting, Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc assured that the fund will be utilized accordingly for the programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) for disaster preparedness and response.
“I will look into the budget proposal one by one to make sure the PPAs on the list are balanced and within each item. We know exactly what we’re procuring to make sure that it will be useful for the province. But I think I can say that we are more resilient than before,” he said.
The bulk of the preparedness budget pillar will be allocated on the procurement of search and rescue equipment and vehicles (P11,897,160) and on the procurement of medical supplies and vaccines (P10,516,121).
Moreover, P7,865,000 is allocated for the acquisition of relief supplies; P4,955,000 on irrigation support to farmers; P3,200,000 on logistical assistance for resiliency council meetings and other activities; P2,102,840 on capacity trainings; P2,063,100 million for the installation of warning systems; and P2,000,000 for the establishment of communication systems.
Additionally, P1,500,000 each is allotted for the procurement of oil for desilting, the construction of animal shelters, and the rehabilitation of the Provincial Resiliency Headquarters and Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Another P1,309,891 is budgeted for the procurement of medicine and medical equipment for emergency response, P1,000,000 for fire trucks and equipment, P270,000 for earthquake and fire drills P80,000 for the updating of hazard maps, and P50,000 for community activities centered on climate change and other hazards.
“With the budget, we also want to buy some additional 1,500 life vests to be distributed to our fisherfolk to give them extra protection. Currently, we have about 3,500 to 4,000 registered fisherfolk in the province, and as much as possible, we want to give them one each for their safety when they go out to sea,” Tabije added.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the prevention and mitigation budget will go to the construction and rehabilitation of flood control structures, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects, amounting to P15,000,000.
Another P2,000,000 is allotted for medical equipment, fogging machines, and insecticides and P2,019,952.50 for the provision of veterinary medicine, animal feeds, and farm bio-secured materials.
A total of P999,000 is also budgeted for stockpiling of goods and materials for animal shelters; P300,000 for the distribution of the “Ilokano Resiliency Handbook Manual” and resiliency posters; P250,000 for logistical assistance for National DRRM Month activities; P120,000 for DRRM researches; and P50,000 logistical assistance during pre-emptive or forced evacuations.
Lastly, for the rehabilitation and early recovery pillar, P7,000,000 is budgeted for the procurement of climate change-resilient agricultural inputs; P2,597,850 is allotted for livelihood assistance through animal dispersal; P2,000,000 million is for crop rescue projects; and P800,000 is for the rehabilitation and early recovery, especially on emergency shelter assistance. (AMB/EJFG/PIA Ilocos Norte)
