Go urges efficient calamity fund’s use

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) must closely monitor the proper use of the Quick Response Fund (QRF) released to agencies for emergency needs, especially amid the series of calamities in recent months, according to Senator Christopher “Bong” Go.

“Could you please have the DBM monitor the funds you release? Just because you released the QRF doesn’t mean you can no longer track where it was brought or how it was implemented. This might end up taking years,” Go said during the Senate deliberation of the DBM’s 2026 budget. 

As vice chairperson of the Senate finance committee, Go then asked DBM for updates on the released QRF: “Aside from releasing the QRF, what’s important here is monitoring where the money went and how it was implemented. Have they used it? Have the rehabilitation efforts already been built?” 

Go cited the recent earthquakes, which, according to the Department of Education, caused structural damage and disruptions in around 5,000 schools. 

The hardest-hit schools are those in Regions VII (Central Visayas) and XI (Davao Region), and in the Negros Island Region. 

The DBM has released P2.6 billion to DepEd and P3 billion to the Department of Public Works and Highways in their respective QRFs for the rebuilding of classrooms. In this connection, the senator asked when the implementation timeline would be, noting the DPWH’s dismal record of reportedly constructing only 22 classrooms in 2025.