Tropical Depression "BASYANG" was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 660 km East Northeast of Virac, Catanduanes (14.4 °N, 131.0 °E). Forecast: Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening. Light to moderate winds blowing from the Southeast will prevail over Luzon and coming from the East to Southeast over the rest of the country. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate.

News reports in the country’s leading newspapers note a somewhat concerned state in Government, after a review of calamity funds available in the Philippines should a major calamity or disaster hit. Finance Sec. Florencio Abad, says a review “Calamity funds inherited by the Aquino Administration shows the Philippine government’s calamity funds are at near crisis levels” -This is because of expenses of the past administration on spending on major disasters that hit the country last year.

The Floods and two strange moving meandering typhoons that hit the country hard as record rainfall caused the worst flooding to hit the Philippines in decades during and in the aftermath of Typhoons Ondoy and Peping. As the second storm for the season moves towards the Philippines the governments available disaster calamity funds are mostly committed towards payments from the two storms that hit earlier – thus leaving limited resources should a major disaster occur in the country.

Meanwhile this as the Philippine government weather bureau – or PAGASA- has put three provinces under storm signal number 1.
These are the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, and Aurora due to Tropical Depression “Basyang.” Basyang, intensified into a tropical storm, and is picking up speed roughly 600 kilometers east northeast of Virac, Catanduanes at 5 a.m. Monday.
It has maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center and is moving west northwest at 22 kilometers per hour.
Weather forecasters note the storms Doppler weather scan picture shows a higher than normal water flow meaning the storm is expected to bring with it heavy rains. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Basyang is expected to be at 450 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora on Tuesday morning. When it is expected to make landfall most likely in the Aurora-Isabela Tuesday evening.

While this storm is considered small – with the pronouncements in media of Budget Secretary Florencio Abad that the Arroyo administration had almost spent a little over 70 per cent or P1.407 billion, of the National Government P2 billion pesos calamity fund, in the first half of the year.

Currently a little less than 30 per cent ( to be exact 29.6 percent) of the calamity funds, is available for the use of the present government. But Secretary Abad also says per media reports that the past administration has, “used most of the calamity funds for the rebuilding efforts in places damaged by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng last year.”

Abad, was speaking last Friday with journalists, said the calamity budget may be further reduced should the “Quick Response Fund (QRF) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Public Works and Highways, and Department of National Defense that has reached P605.5 million,” is subtracted from the fund.

According to the Finance chief “the Arroyo government had also apparently made prior commitments to release P315.5 million from the Calamity Fund.” meaning a further reduction of funds in Governments emergency budget requirements.

But the Finance Secretary the Philippine budget department has started to review the budget in a bid to refill the calamity fund and make sure funds would be available if needed. Abad says the government will be prepared even if he inherited a calamity fund which in it’s current states seems to a disaster in itself.

Government is also reviewing expenditures and double checking payments made as well as payments due to ensure that expenses were justified and throughly audited. Calamity funds have in the past often been the source of emergency funds for off book items and considering the average 24 major typhoons a season that hit the Philippines are in times of crisis a fast means for government to effectively respond.

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