Hope springs eternal for the P8B Paglaum Fund

ILOILO CITY – The much awaited Paglaum Fund of P8 billion for the rehabilitation of Western Visayas damaged by Typhoon Frank last June 2008, takes a drastic turn after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo orders the immediate release of the fund.

Typhoon Frank, as potent as the recent Typhoon Ondoy in Luzon, brought a havoc of more than P14 billion worth of destruction in public and private properties in some areas in Region 6 particularly the hard-hit provinces of Iloilo and Aklan.

The cost of damages reached billions in agriculture including P1.2 billion on crops, P3.7 billion on fisheries and P31 million on livestock.

A total of 342 persons were reported dead during the typhoon in Western Visayas and 886 were injured. The flooding affected around 2,545 villages and 417,399 families or 2,094,105 persons, 50,571 houses were destroyed and another 101,080 others damaged.

The President, in Iloilo last week, had asked Department of Budget and Management Secretary Rolando Andaya to facilitate the immediate release of the Paglaum Fund

However, opposition groups here said the fund has no more hope and should be known as “Wala na Paglaum Fund” due to its much delay which was mainly attributed to the slow enactment of a law on Simplified National Income Taxation Scheme (SNITS) which until now, remains at the House level.

The bill mainly authored by Antique Rep. Exequiel Javier to cover the needed amount, is foreseen to be sidetracked by Congress before it adjourns for the Christmas break.

Anti-administration politicians here said the Paglaum Fund will remain as a dream only since the national government is currently giving more attention to the destruction brought by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng in Luzon areas.

By Lydia C. Pendon