New law sets P7-B kitty for Phivolcs over 5 years
President Marcos has signed a law mandating the modernization of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and allocating P7 billion over the next five years.
The President signed Republic Act No. 12180, or the Phivolcs Modernization Act, on Thursday and was published on the website of the Official Gazette on Friday.
RA 12180 created a Phivolcs Modernization Fund, but did not specify the intended projects, referring to them only in general terms, such as “capital outlay.”
Congress will allocate P7 billion for this five-year fund and it will be treated as distinct and separate from the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) appropriations.
Under the law, P1.25 billion per year for the first four years and P2 billion for the fifth year of implementation.
The law also exempted from donors’ taxes the donations, grants, gifts, endowments, legacies and contributions used by Phivolcs and such donations will be considered as allowable gross income tax deductions.
The executive director of Phivolcs, budget secretary, and the secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority will formulate the modernization plan and submit it to the President for approval in the next 90 days.
The Phivolcs executive director will also submit an annual report on the implementation status of the modernization program to the President through the DOST secretary, and to the chairpersons of the committees on science and technology of both chambers of Congress.
RA 12180 also provided for an increase in permanent positions at Phivolcs, a new salary scale for employees, a personnel retention incentive for qualified technical personnel and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate studies in volcano and seismology-related fields.
It also pushed for collaborations and linkages with local governments in disaster risk mitigation, public intermediary, information dissemination, awareness and promotion, data inputs and exchange, and other assistance.
The law also adopted a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach through engagements with the private sector, civil society, academic community and other stakeholders in advancing the Phivolcs modernization program.
