MANILA – Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson pressed the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) to submit ground-validated disaster assessment reports to guide Congress in allocating rehabilitation funds for local government units (LGUs) affected by back-to-back Typhoons Tino and Uwan earlier this year.

During his interpellation of the Department of National Defense’s proposed 2026 budget, Lacson requested copies of the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and Rapid Damage Needs Assessment (RDANA), saying these would be essential in crafting amendments to the spending bill.

He noted that Malacañang, through Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, formally sought funding in the 2026 budget to support the rehabilitation efforts of affected LGUs.

“The Senate, and Congress for that matter, cannot simply introduce amendments under the Senate version and even during the bicameral conference committee without getting data on the ground,” he said.
“We will try to avoid lump sum appropriations… so that local government units on their own can rehabilitate and recover.”

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate finance committee and sponsor of the DND budget, said the OCD may submit the requested reports by December 1. Lacson asked that the documents be given directly to the finance committee so members can review them before introducing amendments in the bicameral conference committee.

Without the reports, Congress may need to consider a supplemental budget. Gatchalian noted that such an option may be necessary since the Senate removed unprogrammed appropriations from its version of the budget bill.

However, Lacson said a supplemental budget would require certification from the Treasury that funds are available. “We can do away with that and instead just introduce amendments in the bicam,” he said.

Lacson also emphasized the need to consider the calamity funds available to LGUs, which represent five percent of their local budgets. He cited Cebu’s 2024 budget of PHP23 billion, which would have an estimated PHP1.15 billion calamity fund, and Negros Occidental’s PHP5.4-billion budget, which translates to about PHP270 million in calamity funds.

“All these should be considered when we realign funds from some other items to the LGSF. But we should be very specific,” he added.