The provincial government of Iloilo is preparing to declare a state of calamity amid the rising fuel costs to allow the use of its quick response fund (QRF) in extending assistance to affected sectors.

The Provincial Community Defense Cluster, led by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., virtually convened mayors and vice mayors of local government units (LGUs) on Friday, March 27, where they tackled Section 7 of Executive Order (EO) 110, declaring the state of national energy emergency issued by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, March 24.

“The LGUs should look for resources or allocate resources to mitigate the disruption in the fuel price,” Defensor said in a media interview, adding that the President also allows provincial and local government units to provide assistance to the extent they can afford.

Defensor, however, said that the provision of assistance should be clear and synchronized with that of the national government to maximize resources.

He said one way for local governments to be able to provide bigger assistance is through the QRF, which, on the part of the province, is P82 million.

“We discussed this with our municipalities. We need to have a declaration of a state of calamity for the province. We are positioning to request a declaration from our Sanggunian (provincial board),” Defensor said.

Based on the guidelines of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, to be able to declare a state of calamity, 15 percent of the population is affected, or 30 percent of the economic sector, livelihood, or agriculture is affected.

Another requisite is when two or more LGUs declare a state of calamity.

During the virtual meeting, the Provincial Community Defense Cluster also asked for updates from the Department of Energy on the current oil supply conditions and on identifying key challenges affecting the region.

Defensor said that based on the DOE update, as of March 20, inventory levels were recorded at 53.14 days for gasoline, 45.82 days for diesel, 61.49 days for fuel oil, and 23.51 days for liquefied petroleum gas.PNA