P600M released for Panay rehab

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

AFTER more than a year, the national government released the second tranche of funds for the rehabilitation of areas in Panay damaged by typhoon Frank in 2008.

Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Raul Banias said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released Friday the special allotment release order (SARO) for the P600 million Panay rehabilitation fund.

The first tranche of the rehab fund amounting to P481 million was released March 2009, almost a year after Typhoon Frank wreaked havoc on Panay in June 2008.

A lion’s share of the P600-million fund was set aside for damaged infrastructures with P495 million, while Aklan was allocated P55 million and Antique - P50 million.

Banias said the funds for Iloilo will be used to replace E. Marcos Bridge in Brgy. Amerang, Maasin (P180 million); completion of the Baltazar Aquino Bridge in Poblacion, Leon (P110 million); completion of Camanggahan Bridge in Guimbal (P90 million) and repairs of Balabag-Sulangan Road in Dumangas (P50 million) and Dumangas coastal road to Iloilo City (P65 million).

Some P55 million will be spent on the repair and rehabilitation of the Aklan River Control Project in Libacao and P50 million for the repair and rehabilitation of the Patnongon-Valderama road in Antique.

Citing his conversation with Reconstruction Commission head Ricardo Saludo, Banias said Western Visayas will get a “fair share” of the Philippine government’s US$250-million loan from the World Bank (WB).

The government and WB will sign next month the agreement on the loan which will be used for the rehabilitation of areas damaged by Typhoons Frank, Ondoy and Pepeng.

The reconstruction commission is also working on another loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the same rehabilitation efforts.

An P8-billion rehabilitation fund for Panay was initially proposed but it was later reduced to P4 billion. (With reports from PNA)