THE DEPARTMENT of Interior and Local Government (DILG) called on more local government units (LGUs) in Mindanao to utilize their local disaster funds for preparedness and mitigation measures instead of just for emergency response in calamity situations. Edgar Allan B. Tabell, chief of the DILG-Central Office Disaster Information Coordinating Center (CODIX), noted that this reluctance among LGUs stems from various cases of being disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA). But he explained that COA will approve preparedness projects if these are in line with the approved local Annual Investment Program (AIP). “LGUs… have AIP, which is a list of what will be spent or should be spent on, and this should be approved by the… council or local executive,” he explained during the launch in Davao City last week of the Operation Listo: Disaster Preparedness Manual Version 3. Under Republic Act 10121, the Act Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System, LGUs are required to allocate at least 5% of their annual income as local disaster fund. Of this 5%, the 30% should serve as a quick response fund and the remaining 70% could be used for disaster preparedness, prevention, mitigation and rehabilitation, the DILG official explained. “Everything under AIP is allowed, whether buying a product or spending for activities like drills or information materials,” he added. The enhanced Operation Listo manual now includes a guide for provincial governors in terms of the minimum standards that should be implemented before, during, and after a disaster. — Maya M. Padillo

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