OCD urged to hasten release of calamity fund

SEN. Francis Joseph "Chiz" Escudero called on the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) to hasten the disbursement of calamity fund to areas affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro during a Senate inquiry on the incident.

"This is a corrective memorandum circular, anyway. And legally, you can apply it retroactively, too, to previous and other claims filed or made by affected citizens and all local government units (LGUs)," Escudero said, noting the urgent need for the OCD and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) to simplify the process of releasing aid to LGUs affected by natural and man-made disasters.