The House Committee on Reorganization on Wednesday has approved a Duterte administration measure creating the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR).
In the committee-approved substitute bill, Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, principal author of the proposal, the bill adopted a “joint operational supervision” clause over four vital agencies, namely, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the Philippine Atmospherics Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the Geo-Hazard Assessment and Engineering Geology Section of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in lieu of attaching them.
According to Salceda, only 66 out of 80 provinces have permanent disaster office.
The lower chamber is eyeing to pass the proposed DDR bill before the year ends.
The measure now provides that the “DDR shall exercise joint supervision with: DOST over Pagasa and Phivolcs; the DENR over Geo-Hazard Assessment and Engineering Geology Section of the MGB; and the Department of the Interior and Local Government [DILG] over the BFP.
“The bill also requires that the DDR and these departments shall establish systems and protocols for sustained sharing of knowledge, data, information technology, facilities and other resources critical to DDR at all times.
“The measure added the DDR shall provide DDR training, upgrading of equipment and other logistical requirement that the said agencies will be under the full supervision and direct control of the DDR in anticipation of, during and, as necessary, in the determination of the secretary, in aftermath of emergencies and disasters.”
“Marked as an urgent bill by President Duterte himself, this was the second time the Lower House has passed the DDR proposal after it was overran by the 2019 national elections in the 17th Congress. Public clamor for the measure ensued following a series of earthquake devastation in Mindanao,” Salceda said.
Under the bill, the DDR is envisioned to be the primary government agency that is “responsible, accountable and liable for leading, managing and organizing national efforts to prevent and reduce disaster risks; prepare for and respond to disasters; and recover, rehabilitate and build forward better after the destruction.”
It said the DDR will be a full-blown department headed by a secretary, supported by undersecretaries, assistant secretaries and directors with an initial budget of P10 billion.
It also provides “that Pagasa, Phivolcs and MGB Geohazards unit shall second dedicated staff to the DDR based on the requirement of DDR.”
But the bill said the DDR will still have the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) as its core organization which, in turn, will be integrated to the Climate Change Commission Office, the Health Emergency Management Bureau of the Department of Health (DOH), the Disaster Response Assistance and the Disaster Response Management Bureau of Department of Social Welfare and Development.
As conceived, the DDR will lead in the “continuous development of strategic, holistic and systematic approaches to disaster management, including prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and rehabilitation, and anticipatory adaptation strategies, measures, techniques and options.”
The new department will also promote accelerated capacity building by local government units (LGUs) with relevant national agencies and other stakeholders, for the implementation of disaster and climate-change plans, programs, projects and activities.
“It will also be tasked to formulate comprehensive guidelines on the initiation, entry, facilitation, transit and regulation of international relief goods and personnel, as well as eligibility guidelines on how to legally assist international players, as well as provide sanctions for prohibited acts by public officials and private persons or institutions,” Salceda added.
The DDR will retain the OCD National Council with an expanded membership as the policy advisory board of the proposed department. It also creates a multi-stakeholders’ convergence unit to help align disaster resilience efforts of the private sector, CSOs, academe and other stakeholders with those of the DDR by assisting, coordinating, or providing them services that strengthen public-private cooperation and coordination for disaster resilience.
Salceda said the DDR will also have a distinct National Disaster Resilience Fund scheme that allows fund inputs from both national and local government bodies.
Under its new fund scheme, only 20 percent of resources can be used for quick response or stand-by fund, while the remaining 80 percent is for climate-change adaptation; disaster risk, and vulnerability reduction and mitigation; disaster risk transfer; disaster preparedness; recovery; rehabilitation; and anticipatory adaptation.
Also, the bill said DDR will create a Disaster Resilience Support Fund that will be dedicated exclusively for the use of third to sixth class provinces and towns in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating their programs, projects and activities for climate- change adaptation, disaster risk prevention and mitigation, disaster risk transfer and disaster preparedness.
Based on the 2019 national expenditure program, Salceda said the budget of government agencies absorbed by DDR would amount to P31 billion.
“Together with the NDRRMF budget of P20 billion, the DDR would have a funding base of P50.1 billion. It is estimated that aside from the existing budgets, the DDR would require an initial P10 billion based on the new mandates. OCD would require P1 billion for new offices, especially field offices in the regions, excluding capital outlay,” he added.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/11/21/house-committee-approves-ddr-substitute-bill/
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