CEBU Province has approximately P1 billion in unspent funds designated for disaster preparedness and resiliency, Provincial Administrator Joseph “Ace” Durano said in an ambush interview on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
The significant accumulation stems from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) operating for years as a downgraded division with limited resources of P600 million trust funds and P360 million from the current year that remains unspent.
Durano said that upon his assumption, he observed several provincial offices, including the PDRRMO, had been reduced in status or dissolved.
“Bahin sa calamity ug disaster preparations, naka ingun ko ni Guv Pam pag first two weeks dinhi, wa man ko nakahinumdum nga ingun ani ko ka busy pagsulod naku sa DOT (Department of Tourism), unya dinhi lang ko nakarealize nganung busy kaayo mi kay daghang opisina nga gipang-downgrade, gipang-dissolve,” Durano said.
(Regarding calamity and disaster preparations, I told Governor Pam during my first two weeks here that I don't recall being this busy when I first joined the DOT (Department of Tourism). It was only here that I realized why we are so busy: many offices were downgraded, [and] some were dissolved.)
He elaborated on the PDRRMO's limited capacity.
“Usa ana nga na downgrade ang atong PDRRMO, nga mao untay mu handle sa atong disaster preparations… So, from a full office nahimo na siyang division, unya duha ra katawo, way assets, way equipments,” he said.
(One of those downgraded was our PDRRMO, which should have been handling our disaster preparations. So, from a full office, it became a division with only two people, no assets, no equipment.)
The substantial unspent amount is largely due to the mandate that one percent of the Province’s National Tax Allocations (NTA) must be used for disaster preparedness.
These funds have accumulated in a special trust fund account over the years due to underutilization.
“Tungod sa balaod, one percent of your NTA (National Tax Allocations) has to be used for disaster preparedness, for resiliency so tungod kay wala nay gamit-gamit for so many years, ni abot nana og billion, kanang pundoha para magamit unta sa PDRRMO for disaster preparation,” Durano said.
“Naa sa trust funds. Naa lang sa separate account. Naa ra na. Nag sige lang og kadako kay kada tuig pilay NTA natu, one percent ana isud gyud anang punduha,” he added.
(Because of the law, one percent of your NTA (National Tax Allocations) has to be used for disaster preparedness, for resiliency. Since it hasn't been utilized for so many years, that fund, which should have been used by the PDRRMO for disaster preparation, has now reached a billion pesos. It's in the trust funds, in a separate account; it's just there, continuously growing, because every year, whatever our NTA is, one percent of that fund should really be placed there.)
Governor Pamela Baricuatro appointed Colonel Denise Pastor, a retired army officer with a master's degree in disaster preparedness, to lead the PDRRMO.
Pastor has visited other local government units (LGUs) with active DRRM offices and found that the Capitol's current setup lags behind.
A key legislative agenda for the Baricuatro administration is to reinstate the PDRRMO as a full department.
Board Member Celestino Martinez III is expected to sponsor the necessary legislation.
This upgrade is seen as vital for the office to effectively use the available funds for training responders, acquiring equipment, purchasing rescue vehicles, and increasing manpower.
“Yes, kay naa man, the fund is there, di mana magamit sa lain nga butang kay it’s a special funds (Yes, because it's there, the fund is there; it cannot be used for anything else because it's a special fund),” Durano said, though he clarified that the funds are "not yet" usable without proper budgeting and approval from the Provincial Board.
Cebu Province Budget Officer Danilo Rodas provided a breakdown of the funds in a separate interview.
He indicated that approximately P600 million is in the trust funds, with an additional P360 million from the current year that remains unspent.
This brings the total close to P1 billion.
Rodas cited Republic Act 12001, which stipulates that if general funds for disaster are not utilized within the year, they are transferred to trust funds.
These funds then remain usable for disaster-related activities for five years, preventing their expiration.
“Ma expire man gud na kung naa rana sa general funds. Para pag secure ana nga fund, i-adto sa trust funds, ingun sa balaod (It would expire if it just stays in the general funds. So to secure that fund, it has to be transferred to the trust funds, as per the law),” Rodas said, confirming the funds are “usable within five years.”
He also clarified that the funds have not yet lapsed, with much of the earlier allocations having been used for Covid-19 response. Funds from 2022, 2023, and 2024 remain. (CDF)