Friday, September 14, 2018

SGMA pushes for establishment of Disaster Management Department

Former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today pushed for the establishment of a Disaster Management Department that would be instrumental in improving the country’s preparedness before, during, and after the strike of natural calamities.

Speaker Arroyo reiterated her call for the creation of the Disaster Management Department in an interview prior to her distribution of relief goods to some 1,000 families in Marilao, Bulacan, who were affected by previous typhoons.

The relief operations were done by Speaker Arroyo despite the expected onslaught of supertyphoon Ompong.

Speaker Arroyo disclosed that there are difficulties encountered with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in terms of determining where the relief operations should be held.

She said that while residents of Bulacan were definitely victimized by the calamities, people living in the East of Aurora apparently experienced it worse. She explained that they were almost clueless as to where the typhoon really hit.

“So because it’s a coordinating council, we just based it on where they announced ‘no classes.’ It turns out it’s East of Aurora. We should have gone to Aurora, but we didn’t know. If there is a Disaster Management Department, they would have better information, and they can prepare better,” Speaker Arroyo said.

She also bared that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also had logistical issues, which posed delay on the day of the relief operations.

“We asked (the) DSWD to bring relief goods. I brought mine. Good that it’s here. But DSWD, they have the goods, but do not have the truck. A Disaster Management Department would have everything. 

So what happened was that the DSWD had to borrow a truck from Meycauayan Mayor Henry Villarica, the husband of Congresswoman Villarica. "But then, the truck broke down. It just arrived now,” she said.

Speaker Arroyo then noted that it is important to already have a Disaster Management Secretary who can focus on concerns of risk reduction and management.

“We need to have a permanent and full-time Secretary of Disaster. Who’s the head of the Council? Secretary Lorenzana. Well, he’s busy fighting insurgency. He’s busy fighting terrorism. So how can he be there full-time? So now, what happened is since the typhoon is going to hit the North, four Secretaries are there. If there was a full-time Secretary, then you don’t need four Secretaries to be there,” Speaker Arroyo explained.

The Speaker mentioned how these matters have only proven that there is absolutely a need for a Disaster Management Department. She said that “They’re doing the best that they can. I’m satisfied with what they’re doing within the limitations of a coordinating council, but this really proves we should have a Disaster [Management] Department. Otherwise, we would have been in Aurora today, if we had known better,” she said.

Relatedly, House Bill 8165, seeking the creation of the Department of Disaster Resiliency (DDR), is now in the period of sponsorship and debate at the House of Representatives. 

Also present during the relief operations were Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado (1st District, Bulacan), Marilao Mayor Juanito Santiago, Marilao Vice Mayor Henry Lutao, Meycauayan Mayor Henry Villarica, some local officials of Marilao and representatives from the DSWD. | Monel Gonzales

Arroyo admits her experience justified creation of disaster management dep’t

Confused and bewildered about details on typhoon ‘”Ompong”s, former president and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo admitted her experience on Friday provided a strong justification for the creation of a new government department solely in charge of the country’s disaster preparedness and resilience program.

“We were clueless where the typhoon was going to hit so because it is a coordinating council so we based it where there are no classes, where it has been announced no classes. Marilao, Obando in Bulacan. It turns out it’s east of Aurora,” Arroyo told news reporters.

Arroyo distributed relief goods to more than 1,000 Marilao families who were affected by the “habagat” (west monsoon rains) and to prepare them for the approaching supertyphoon Ompong yesterday.

The House leader underscored the need to create the Department of Disaster Resilience which is currently debated in the Lower House plenary, saying that addressing national disaster preparedness and response concerns.

“We should have gone to Aurora but we did not know,” said Arroyo, adding that they were not aware of Ompong’s directiion when they prepared the relief goods the other day.

“If there is a disaster management department, they would have better information and they can prepare better,” she added.

Further, the former chief executive stressed that the proposed department can be expected to acquire better equipment, apparently in terms of communications, transportation and heavy-duty disaster control tools and gear.

She pointed out that while the Department of Social Welfare Development has enough relief goods and food to distribute, it lacks transportation to ensure delivery.

“A disaster management department would have everything so what happened? The DSWD had to borrow the truck from the mayor of Meycauayan, the husband of Cong. Villarica,“ she explained, referring to Deputy Speaker Linabelle Villarica and her husband, Mayor Henry Villarica.

Unfortunatley, the truck bogged down and belatedly arrived at the distribution venue.

“I mean these are the logistical problems when you have only a coordinating council and disasters happen to us all the time especially with climate change,” she said.

House bill 8165 seeking to create a Department of Disaster Resilience is up for second reading approval in the Lower House.

A consolidation of 42 bills and five resolutions, HB 8165 proposes the DDR to be the primary government agency responsible for managing the national effort to reduce disaster risk, manage preparations for natural calamities and lead the response, recovery and rehabilitation efforts for victims.

Principal authors included Reps. Winston Castelo (PDP-Laban, Quezon City); Isidro Rodriguez Jr. (NPC, Rizal); Bellaflor Angara-Castillo (LDP, Aurora); Alfred Vargas (PDP-Laban, Quezon City); Michael Romero and Enrico Pineda (1Pacman Party-list); Carlos Isagani Zarate (Bayan Muna); Yedda Marie Romualdez (Lakas-CMD, Leyte) ; Victoria Isabel Noel (An Waray Party-list) and Bernadette Herrera-Dy (Bagong Henerasyon Party-list).

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/09/14/arroyo-admits-her-experience-justified-creation-of-disaster-management-dept/