TACLOBAN CITY — Nearly P40 billion has been set aside under the 2026 national budget to strengthen the country’s disaster response and rehabilitation efforts, House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan announced Sunday, Feb. 22.

Libanan of the 4Ps party-list said Congress allocated P39.8 billion for this year’s Calamity Fund under the 2026 General Appropriations Act, marking a 90-percent increase from the P21 billion approved in 2025.

Of the total amount, P15.3 billion will go to the Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance Program for local government units; P12.5 billion is earmarked for capital outlays covering repair and reconstruction of permanent structures and pre-disaster operations; P11 billion is allotted for aid, relief, and rehabilitation services, including personnel training; and P1 billion is reserved for adaptation projects under the People’s Survival Fund.

Libanan said the fund may be used for natural and human-induced calamities, epidemics declared by the Department of Health, and crises arising from armed conflict, insurgency, or terrorism.

The announcement comes amid recent disasters in Mindanao.

The Region 11 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that at least seven people were killed in flooding and landslides in Mati City, Davao Oriental, and Monkayo, Davao de Oro following heavy rains.

More than 84,000 individuals in 65 barangays across the Davao region were affected by prolonged rainfall caused by a shear line.

Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Basyang also triggered flash floods and landslides that killed at least 12 people and affected over 232,000 residents in Mindanao and the Visayas.
The Philippines remains highly vulnerable to disasters. The 2025 World Risk Report ranked the country first among 193 nations in disaster risk exposure for the fourth straight year, citing frequent typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic activity.

The country lies along the western Pacific typhoon corridor and the Pacific Ring of Fire, with active volcanoes such as Mayon Volcano, Taal Volcano, and Kanlaon Volcano currently showing unrest or ongoing activity.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY — A proposed law granting full government support to top senior high school graduates moved closer to plenary approval after the House Committee on Appropriations endorsed the measure on Feb. 17.

The panel, chaired by Rep. Mikaela Suansing, approved the substitute bill institutionalizing the Presidential Merit Scholarship Program (PMSP), a priority measure under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council backed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The consolidated measure includes House Bill No. 5763 principally authored by Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and co-authored by Tingog party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Andrew Julian Romualdez, and Jude Acidre.

The bill was sponsored before the appropriations panel by Acidre, who chairs the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.

Once enacted, the program will be formally lodged under CHED and provide scholars with free tuition and school fees, book and internet allowances, uniform support, dormitory or transportation assistance, and other living subsidies.

The grant was increased during deliberations to P90,000 annually for students in private higher education institutions and P45,000 for those in public institutions.

Lawmakers said institutionalizing the program will ensure stable funding and continuity, while preventing duplication of benefits with other government scholarships.

With its appropriations provisions approved, the bill now moves to plenary deliberations.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY — Police in Eastern Visayas arrested several drug suspects, seized illegal firearms, and stopped an unlawful fuel trade in a series of operations conducted over two days, authorities reported Monday.

The operations, carried out from February 20 to 21, were led by the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO-8) under Regional Director Jason Capoy.

On February 20, operatives of the Albuera Municipal Police Station arrested a fish vendor tagged as a street-level individual during a drug buy-bust operation in Albuera.

Police recovered around 5.5 grams of suspected shabu valued at P73,400, along with a .38 caliber revolver, four rounds of ammunition, and drug paraphernalia.

The following day, police in Llorente, Eastern Samar arrested two men — a 30-year-old driver and a 20-year-old laborer — for alleged illegal fuel trading in Barangay Naubay.
Confiscated from the suspects were 900 liters of premium gasoline worth P56,295 and 360 liters of unleaded gasoline valued at P22,122, along with a white van and other materials used in the activity.

Also on February 21, police in Burauen, Leyte arrested a suspect in a shooting incident through a hot pursuit operation.

Investigation showed that the victim was refueling at a sari-sari store when the suspect suddenly appeared and shot him, hitting his left arm. The victim was rushed to the Burauen District Hospital for treatment.

Authorities later apprehended the suspect and recovered a .45 caliber pistol with one magazine loaded with five live bullets.

In Ormoc City, a buy-bust operation conducted by the local drug enforcement team resulted in the arrest of high-value individuals and one street-level suspect.

Seized were six sachets of suspected shabu weighing about 2.53 grams with an estimated value of P17,204. Police also recovered a .357 caliber revolver, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia.

Capoy commended the swift response of police units across the region, saying the arrests and seizure of illegal drugs and firearms demonstrate PRO-8’s commitment to maintaining peace and order.

All confiscated items were properly inventoried in the presence of witnesses, as required by law. The suspects are now in police custody and are facing appropriate criminal charges.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY — The Catbalogan city government has stepped up efforts to restore marine ecosystems with the release of sea turtles and transplantation of giant clams in Barangay Buluan.

Led by the City Agriculture Office and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), the activity brought together government agencies, academic institutions, civic groups, and local communities in a collaborative conservation effort.

Partners included Samar State University, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the Provincial Fishery Office, the Philippine Coast Guard, PNP Maritime Group, local barangay councils, CFARMC and FARMC representatives from seven Sierra Islands barangays, the Rotary Club of Catbalogan, and the People’s Initiative for Learning and Community Development (PILCD).

During the ceremony, officials highlighted the ecological importance of sea turtles and giant clams in maintaining biodiversity and supporting sustainable fisheries. A ceremonial sea turtle release was followed by giant clam transplantation in designated reef areas, alongside the installation of an MPA reef billboard to remind residents of their role in marine protection.

City authorities said the initiative underscores the value of strong partnerships in advancing community-based marine conservation and sustaining fisheries for future generations.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)