Duterte to turn NDRRMC into Department of Disaster

President Duterte intends to turn the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) into a regular department in charge of overall disaster resilience and quick response and is eyeing Ricardo Jalad,

NDRRMC executive director to head it.

The President said he intends to turn the NDRRMC into a “regular department” to meet challenges when the country is hit by natural disasters and other emergencies.

“I have plans of making

his (Jalad’s) department ---- his agency a regular department solely (to meet the challenges when the country is hit by natural disasters and other emergencies.) He will be in charge of everything,” he said during his visit to storm-hit Camarines Sur last Friday.

The President looked at the extent of the devastation caused by tropical depression in the Bicol region. He conducted an aerial inspection of the landslide-hit areas and attended a post-disaster assessment meeting with concerned national and local officials.

Jalad, who was also present in the meeting, told the President that the storm has left 122 people dead and 28 missing when it induced floods and landslides in Bicol and nearby regions last month.

President Duterte earlier asked Congress to pass a bill creating the Department of Disaster Resilience, one of the priority measures endorsed in his last State of the Nation Address (SONA). The House of Representatives has passed the measure but the Senate has yet to approve its version.

Under the measure, the new department will lead government efforts on disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and recovery and building. To strengthen the chain of command and establish a unified command system for disaster management, the proposed DDR will be led by a Secretary assisted by four Undersecretaries.

At present, NDRRMC is supervised by the Office of Civil Defense under the Department of National Defense. The council is assigned to coordinate, monitor, and implement government action to protect people during disasters or emergencies.