Manggarai Barat Puts Earthquake Recovery at Top of 2026 Budget
Manggarai Barat has made earthquake recovery its top 2026 budget priority, after shifting Rp1.5 billion in contingency funds and awaiting Rp20 billion in presidential assistance for disaster response.
By Pandi Muktar
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· Event date: · 3 min read
Labuan Bajo — Manggarai Barat has made earthquake recovery the top priority in its 2026 revised budget, with the regency government saying it has already shifted Rp1.5 billion in contingency funds for emergency response after the 15 August quake in Flores.
Bupati Edistasius Endi outlined the budget plan during a plenary meeting of the Manggarai Barat Regional House of Representatives on 24 August, according to the regency government’s official news site and a report from RRI. The local government said the revised budget would also incorporate additional contingency spending for disaster handling.
The central government has transferred Rp200 billion in presidential assistance for the NTT earthquake response, including Rp20 billion for Manggarai Barat, according to reports citing the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Disaster Management Agency. The funding was described as disaster assistance or extra contingency spending, and officials said it must still follow technical instructions before being used.
In its official release, the regency government said emergency steps included a disaster command post, accelerated deployment of personnel and logistics, and the distribution of rice supplies from local stocks. It also said field assessments of damaged homes began on 24 August.
By 24 August, the regency said it had distributed 124.95 tonnes of rice from a stock of 126.7 tonnes. The government also said assessment teams included agricultural extension workers, family-planning officers, technical agencies and the National Disaster Management Agency.
Funding and implementation
Endi said the Rp1.5 billion contingency shift was for immediate response, while the larger reconstruction phase would be handled separately in the revised budget process, according to the regency government’s release.
The same release listed operational support for agencies across the regency, including the health office, regional hospital, agriculture office, public order unit, tourism office, planning agency, road and bridge administration and the DPRD secretariat.
The government did not provide a project-by-project breakdown for damaged roads, tourism facilities or business support measures in the material reviewed for this report. It also said beneficiary data had been updated in real time and coordination continued with district, village and urban ward officials.
Officials said the emergency period lasted 14 days, while later updates from RRI reported that Manggarai Barat had moved into a transition-to-recovery phase after the initial emergency response.
Presidential assistance of Rp20 billion for Manggarai Barat was part of a wider Rp200 billion package for NTT’s earthquake-hit areas, which also included Rp40 billion for the provincial government and Rp20 billion each for seven other affected regencies.
Context
The August earthquake affected multiple regencies in Flores and prompted emergency measures across NTT. In Manggarai Barat, the budget move indicates that disaster response has taken priority over other spending plans as the regency moves from emergency relief toward recovery planning.
Endi also rejected claims that the revised budget included allocations to rehabilitate or maintain officials’ meeting rooms, saying the only related increase was for facilities at the Regent’s Office hall, according to the regency release.
Sources
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