Kuya Bong renews call for DDR bill passage

Following the devastation caused by the Intensity 7 earthquake that rocked the province of Abra on Wednesday, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go renewed his call for the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) to ensure quicker response and more proactive and holistic approach in preparing for calamities and other natural disasters.

On Wednesday the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) initially measured the quake as a magnitude 7.3 quake but the later revised it to 7.0 with its epicenter logged about 3 kilometers northwest of the Municipality of Tayum in Abra province and was also felt in nearby areas and various parts of Luzon.

The senator stressed that the incident really makes his long-running clamor for the establishment of the DDR even more relevant.

“Once established, we will have a Cabinet secretary-level department whose primary tasks are not limited to extending immediate assistance but also making sure the rapid recovery and rehabilitation of affected communities,” said Go.

In line with this, the lawmaker reintroduced in the 19th Congress Senate Bill (SB) 188 to establish the DDR which seeks to create a highly specialized agency that will be tasked with ensuring adaptive, disaster-resilient and safe communities.

The DDR will bring together all essential functions and mandates currently scattered among various disaster-related agencies.

To support the DDR’s functions and responsibilities, the measure also provides for the creation of an Integrated Disaster Resilience Information System which will serve as a database of all relevant disaster risk reduction and climate change information.

The proposed bill also seeks to provide for the establishment of a Humanitarian Assistance Action Center, a one-stop shop for the processing and release of goods, equipment and services, in order to guarantee the timely delivery of assistance to disasterstricken areas.

It likewise provides for remedial measures for areas under a state of calamity, such as the imposition of price ceiling on basic necessities and prime commodities, programming or reprogramming of funds for the repair of public infrastructures, and grant of no-interest loans by lending institutions to vulnerable groups or individuals.

Finally, the measure establishes the National Disaster Operations Center and Alternative Command and Control Centers to monitor, manage and respond to disasters. There will also be a Disaster Resilience Research and Training Institute which will offer training, and collect, manage and share information to improve the country’s resilience.

Meanwhile, Go likewise called on his fellow senators to pass SB 193, or his Mandatory Evacuation Center Bill, that will require the establishment of such safe, dedicated and equipped centers in every province nationwide.

The bill also provides the minimum requirements for every evacuation center, including the location, structural or building capacity, and amenities and accessibility.

The event makes his longrunning clamor for the establishment of the DDR even more relevant.