Undersecretary of the Interior Máximo Pavez said on Tuesday that the government is not considering invoking the constitutional 2% provision to address weather emergencies. "It is not on the table," he said at a press briefing.
According to BioBioChile, his remarks respond to criticism of the cuts envisaged in the 2027 Budget for the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred). The criticism arose after intense frontal systems affected various parts of the country, including the Metropolitan Region.
The constitutional 2% provision allows the executive branch to spend funds not provided for in the budget law in the event of disasters. Pavez described it as "a tool for major events," used very few times in the country's democratic history. The last time, he recalled, was during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the undersecretary, the "2%" discussed since winter is something else. It is a budget provision for regional governments. Following authorization from the Undersecretariat of the Interior in July, all regional governments can allocate 2% of their budgets to emergency mitigation, response and recovery.
Pavez clarified that each regional government can allocate those resources within its planning, provided it operates under the Regional Committee for Disaster Risk Management (Cogrid). He added that governors have welcomed the measure.
The undersecretary also defended the bill sent by the President to Congress. He said the Senapred network would have all the resources needed for operational responses and that additional exceptional mechanisms exist. He said he was not concerned about a lack of funds.
"Not all emergency resources come from Senapred's budget," he said. He explained that the service's budget is primarily operational, although it includes emergency housing and humanitarian aid.
As an example, he cited budget provision 06 of the Ministry of the Interior, which finances emergency resources. With those funds, according to Pavez, the government has already paid aid to around 177,000 households, sent humanitarian aid to Norte Chico and contracted services through presidential delegations.
The undersecretary linked the recent impacts to El Niño and said damage assessment is ongoing. The sources do not specify the exact amount of the cuts to Senapred. The discussion will continue in Congress as the 2027 Budget moves through the legislative process.
