By Fel V. Maragay

The repair of public school buildings and hospitals damaged by killer typhoons last year are expected to go on full swing with the release of P700 million ordered by Malacañang for the purpose.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo approved the release of the money upon the recommendation of Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the money will be charged against the P10-billion Calamity Assistance and Rehabilitation Effort under the 2007 national budget. The special fund was created by Congress to fast-track the reconstruction of communities devastated by super-typhoons Milenyo, Reming, Paeng and Senyang that hit the country in last quarter of 2006.

Ermita said the state colleges and universities in the Bicol region (Region 4) will receive the biggest share of the financial assistance—P276.4 million. Those in Southern Tagalog (Region 4) will receive P106.9 million and Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan (Region 4-B), P16 million; National Capital Region, P520,000 and Western Visayas, P150,000.

Of the P700 million ordered released by the President, P400 million will go to the affected state universities and colleges and P300 million to government hospitals.

Ermita said P300 million was released to the Department of Health for redistribution to government hospitals whose buildings, equipment and other facilities where destroyed or damaged by the typhoons.

He said the recipient hospitals are in Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan, Bicol region, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Central Visayas.

Ermita said the recipient SUCs are:

Southern Tagalog—Laguna State Polytechnic College, P21.9 million; Technological University of the Philippines-Cavite, P760,000; Southern Luzon Polytechnic College, P4.2 million; University of the Philippines in Los Baños, P80 million.

Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan—Marinduque State College, P4.9 million; Romblon State College, P736,000; Mindoro State College, P5.2 million; Occidental Mindoro National College, P920,000; and Aklan University, P4.2 million.

Bicol region—Bicol University, P48 million; Catanduanes State College, P40 million; Sorsogon State College, P28.4 million; Partido State University, P11.5 million; Camarines Sur Polytechnic College, P3.1 million; Camarines Sur State Agricultural College, P4.3 million.

Western Visayas—Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College, P150,000; and National Capital Region—Taguig City Campus P520,000.