Malacañang is urging Congress to pass a bill creating a full-time and focused department to deliver enhanced disaster resilience and quick disaster response.
The administration version of the bill on the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) has been submitted to the two houses of Congress last Monday, according to Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque.
The draft bill, transmitted by the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) to the Offices of the Senate President and the House Speaker, was recently approved by President Duterte and the Cabinet for immediate endorsement to Congress as “a high priority measure.”
“The bill is anchored on the government’s experience with previous disasters, among them Supertyphoon Yolanda, and guided by President Duterte’s leadership principles,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said during a Palace press briefing.
Roque said the proposed department would have a full-time focus on natural hazards and disasters and must deliver key result areas such as disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and recovery and building forward better.
“The bill is a product of inter-agency teamwork, building on the salient points of the pending bills in Congress,” he said.
“Once passed into law, the creation of the Department will be a significant step toward attaining safe, adaptive, and disaster-resilient communities by leading efforts to reduce the risk of natural hazards and the effects of climate change,” he added. (Genalyn Kabiling)