Duterte pledges P10 billion for Odette victims amid funding delays

President Rodrigo Duterte has appealed for patience from victims of Typhoon Odette, assuring them that aid is coming despite bureaucratic delays.

He explained that releasing funds immediately is challenging because most of the country's funds went to the fight against COVID-19 and the national budget is about to end.

Duterte has now pledged P10 billion for the typhoon response.

P2 billion is available under the NDRRM fund, another P2 billion from the President's contingency fund, and the remaining P6 billion will come from the 2022 General Appropriations Act once signed.

He had previously pledged approximately PHP2 billion for Leyte and other typhoon-affected provinces, admitting it might not be enough to cover all the damages.

The President has called for a meeting to resolve the issue of fund release.