Jakarta (ANTARA) - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa conveyed his readiness to release emergency funds to address flash floods and landslides in Sumatra.
In a press statement on Saturday, Purbaya said he was not yet aware of any regulations regarding the Disaster Pooling Fund (PFB), but he emphasized his readiness to release reserve funds to address the impact of disasters in Sumatra.
"If I am being asked to cover it, I will pay," he stated.
The innovative PFB funding was issued through Presidential Regulation Number 75 of 2021 concerning the Joint Fund for Disaster Management on August 13, 2021.
According to the Ministry of Finance's website, the PFB is included in the government's effort to strengthen fiscal resilience in mitigating the impact of natural and non-natural disasters.
The PFB allows the government to manage disaster risk funding strategies through the state budget, or transfer the risk to a third party through the insurance of government and community assets.
Therefore, the cost of handling major disasters does not solely rely on annual allocations from the state budget.
The PFB is expected to accelerate recovery and protect the most affected communities, namely the poor and vulnerable.
President Prabowo Subianto has said that the government's current focus is on distributing aid to areas affected by natural disasters.
Regarding the possibility of declaring a disaster status, he stated that field monitoring is underway before making further decisions.
Several parties are urging the central government to declare a national disaster emergency status in response to the recent floods and landslides in Sumatra, particularly in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh.
The primary reason for this demand is the scale of the damage and impact of the disaster, which is considered to have exceeded the capacity of local governments to handle it.
Although provinces have already declared local emergency statuses, those requesting a national emergency response argue that only a national disaster declaration can ensure stronger, unified assistance and mobilization from the central government.
Data as of November 28 from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) noted that victims of flash floods and landslides in three Sumatran provinces reached 174 deaths, 79 missing residents, and 12 injured residents.
