Reconstruction funding

DBM Releases P362 Million for Mindanao Earthquake Rehabilitation

July 1, 2026 · Joshua S Bariñan

The national government has started releasing money to rebuild public works and homes wrecked by the June 8 earthquake in southern Mindanao. The Department of Budget and Management put out an initial P362 million for roads, bridges, schools, and health facilities in the areas damaged most, while the Office of the President added P278 million for affected local governments. Lawmakers are pushing for a larger rehabilitation budget.

DBM Releases P362 Million for Mindanao Earthquake Rehabilitation image

The first P362 million was split among General Santos City, Sarangani, and South Cotabato to fix damaged public buildings, roads, a bridge, and a hospital. The money comes from the Local Government Support Fund and goes straight to the local governments.

Housing Help for Families

Under the National Housing Authority's Emergency Housing Assistance Program, families whose homes were fully destroyed receive P30,000 and those with partial damage receive P10,000. The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, which oversees the NHA, also directed the Pag-IBIG Fund, the National Housing Authority, the Social Housing Finance Corporation, and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation to pause housing loan payments for qualified residents, with the mortgage agency extending its moratorium to October 2026.

By June 28, the housing agencies had begun releasing this cash aid to more than 2,800 families in General Santos City, Glan, and Malapatan, alongside shelter repair kits handed out days earlier.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, after visiting General Santos and Sarangani, said about 500 households in Barangay Hicban lost their homes and would need support well beyond the first round of aid.

More Funds on Standby

Acting Budget Secretary Kim Robert De Leon said the first release is only the start and that more money is ready for relief and rebuilding.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund holds about P34.23 billion that may be tapped, including a Quick Response Fund of roughly P11.95 billion for fast deployment.

Push in Congress

The Senate adopted Resolution 447, filed by Joel Villanueva, urging the government to secure immediate funding. Early assessments place the structural damage at about P1.13 billion.

In the House, House Bill 9887 seeks a P15 billion supplemental budget for relief and rehabilitation, with a counterpart measure filed in the Senate. Both remain at the bill stage. The releases follow President Marcos's order to speed up aid to the affected towns.

Sources