GAA allocates P39.8 billion for disaster response — Libanan

Amid frequent calamities—including volcanic eruptions, floods, typhoons, and other disasters—the government has earmarked P39.8 billion this year for disaster-response and rehabilitation efforts.

House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan said the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) allocation is 90 percent higher than the P21 billion set aside in 2025.

He said the 2026 GAA breakdown includes:

• P15.3 billion for the Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance Program for Local Government Units

• P12.5 billion in capital outlays for repair and reconstruction of permanent structures, including pre-disaster operations, rehabilitation, and related activities

• P11 billion in aid, relief, and rehabilitation services to communities affected by calamities, including personnel training and other pre-disaster measures

• P1 billion in adaptation projects and activities for local governments and community organizations under the People’s Survival Fund

Libanan added that the funds cover natural and human-induced calamities, epidemics declared by the Department of Health, crises from armed conflicts, insurgency, terrorism, and other catastrophes.

His announcement came after the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Davao Region confirmed at least seven deaths in Mati City, Davao Oriental, and Monkayo, Davao de Oro, due to flooding and landslides caused by heavy rains.

A total of 84,208 individuals across 65 barangays in the Davao region were affected by prolonged rainfall from a shear line—a boundary in the atmosphere where winds moving in different directions converge, often leading to unsettled weather.

Tropical Storm Basyang also triggered flash floods and landslides, killing at least 12 people and affecting 232,550 residents across 517 barangays in Mindanao and the Visayas.

The 2025 World Risk Report ranked the Philippines first out of 193 countries for the fourth consecutive year, largely due to its exposure to typhoons, flooding, sea-level rise, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

The Philippines lies along the western Pacific typhoon corridor, where nearly one-third of the world’s strongest tropical cyclones form, and along the Pacific Ring of Fire, known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Three active volcanoes—Mayon, Taal, and Kanlaon—are currently showing unrest or ongoing eruptions.