Section 2August 7, 1990, Sec./Art. 2

Statement of Objectives and Guidelines. – This Act is intended to help the victims or their legal heirs in those communities which suffered heavy losses or damage from the earthquakes and their aftereffects. While the extent of damage cannot be compensated to the fullest, this Act aims to provide initial funds for immediate relief of the victims of their legal heirs and to repair and reconstruct government infrastructure heavily damaged or destroyed by said calamity.

The term "victims" when used for the purpose of this Act refers to individuals who sustained serious injuries or suffered death in the family as a result of the aforementioned earthquakes.t also includes individuals whose homes have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable requiring aid in the form of accommodation in temporary shelters and/or food sustenance while they are rebuilding their dwelling places.

Government funds and resources herein appropriated shall be spent judiciously and effectively, in consonance with the principle of providing the greatest good for the greatest number. Accordingly, the following guidelines shall be taken into consideration in allocating the funds made available under this Act:

(1) In the repair and reconstruction of government infrastructure and facilities, priority shall be given to such projects as roads, bridges, and other means of communication, hospitals, school buildings, irrigation systems, canals and water system, municipal buildings, public markets, and the like;

(2) Money or supplies intended for aid or relief to private beneficiaries shall be equitably extended to all deserving victims of the earthquakes, irrespective of political or party affiliation, sex, creed, religious belief, or ethnic origin; and

(3) Any person who takes advantage of the calamity for undue personal and private gain, such as trafficking in buying and selling or misrepresenting the source of relief goods, submitting false or inflated damaged reports, and other illegal acts shall be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law.