ILOILO CITY: The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Western Visayas called on local government units (LGUs) to be prudent in disbursing calamity funds in anticipation of other emergencies. 'I directed our field offices to monitor the disbursement and fund management of their QRF (quick response fund). Why? Because this is not the only last disaster; they have to prepare for another… may God forbid,' DILG VI Regional Director Juan Jovian Ingeniero said in an interview on Thursday. He said DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. issued a memorandum circular to ensure and remind LGUs to 'effectively and efficiently use the local disaster risk reduction and management fund (LDRRMF) for the future since we are just halfway through the year.' Ingeniero, who also chairs the Preparedness Committee of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), said LGUs are to disburse the funds based on their needs. 'There are contingencies that they need to prepare. It's not just La N iña; we have fire, flooding, and others. So the QRF should be spread out,' he said. DILG Local Government Operations Officer II Daniel Jade Jardiolin, during Thursday's RDRRMC second quarter full council meeting, said a memorandum was issued for LGUs to submit their LDRRMF utilization in preparation for the La Niña. The memorandum was issued on May 30, 2024. 'This is to ensure that due to the effects of El Niño and that most of our LGUs, more than 50 percent, have declared a state of calamity, this will ensure that they will still have sufficient funding for the upcoming La Niña,' Jardiolin said. He said all LGUs have already submitted their funds to their central office as of today. During the meeting, the Civil Defense Operations section officer-in-charge Cindy Ferrer said 71 LGUs in the region declared a state of calamity due to the El Niño, with Iloilo and Antique declaring a provincewide state of calamity. Source: Philippines News Agency