Senator Bong Go renewed his call for the passage of Senate Bill No. 188, or his proposed Disaster Resilience Bill.
The proposed legislation aims to create the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR), a specialized department that would be solely responsible for managing the country’s disaster response and mitigation efforts.
Go highlighted that if the bill is enacted, the cabinet secretary-level department shall concentrate on three significant areas, such as disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and recovery and building forward better.
“Parati po akong umiikot sa buong Pilipinas dahil ‘yan po ang aking pangako, pupuntahan ko po kayo basta kaya ng oras at panahon ko… Sunog, lindol, baha, buhawi, putok ng bulkan, pinuntahan ko po iyan lahat para makatulong sa abot ng aking makakaya, magbigay ng solusyon sa problema nila, magbigay ng proyekto na makakabenepisyo sa lugar, at makapag-iwan po ng kaunting ngiti sa panahon ng inyong pagdadalamhati,” the legislator said.
“Hindi po natin maiiwasan ang pagdating ng bagyo, pero mas mabuti po na palagi tayong handa para maiwasan natin ang mas malaking pinsala.”
“Tulad po ngayon na dumaan ang Tropical Depression Amang sa ibang bahagi ng Luzon, mas lalo pa natin dapat paigtingin ang disaster preparedness. Hindi po natin maiiwasan ang pagdating ng bagyo, pero mas mabuti po na palagi tayong handa para maiwasan natin ang mas malaking pinsala,” the lawmaker urged.
To support the DDR’s functions and responsibilities, the proposed measure also provides for the creation of an Integrated Disaster Resilience Information System (IDRIS) which will serve as a database of all relevant disaster risk reduction and climate change information.
Furthermore, the senator cited that the bill seeks to address the long-standing issues and challenges in disaster management, including the lack of coordination among government agencies and the absence of a clear chain of command during emergencies, since essential functions and mandates are currently scattered among various disaster-related agencies.
“Dapat palagi tayong one-step ahead tuwing may darating na sakuna.”
“Palagi ko pong nababanggit na dapat palagi tayong one-step ahead tuwing may darating na sakuna. Hindi po natin maiiwasan ang pagdating ng lindol o bagyo, pero mas mabuti po na palagi tayong handa para maiwasan natin ang mas malaking pinsala,” he urged.
“Kailangan na po talaga nating i-scale up ang preparedness and resiliency against disasters. Kaya naman po bilang inyong senador, patuloy ko pong ipaglalaban itong mga panukala na ito lalo na po at naniniwala ako na para ito sa ikakabuti ng ating bansa,” Go added.
He also filed SBN 1709 that aims to provide hazard pay to disaster response personnel nationwide, considering how dangerous their roles are during disaster situations.
It proposes to amend the provisions of the “Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010″ to mandate the local government units to grant hazard pay to the personnel of their respective Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (LDRRMOs) and Barangay Risk Reduction and Management Committees (BRRMCs), as well as all accredited community disaster volunteers (ACDVs) enlisted to their respective territorial jurisdictions during the State of Calamity declared by the President.
“Alam naman po natin na palaging tinatamaan ng bagyo, lindol, at ano pang sakuna ang ating bansa kaya napakalaki ng papel na ginagampanan ng ating mga rescuers at volunteers sa mga panahon na ito dahil sila ang nagbubuwis ng buhay para ilagay sa kaligtasan ang kanilang mga kababayan,” Go noted.
Under the proposed measure, all personnel of the LDRRMOs in all provinces, cities, and municipalities; and all accredited community disaster volunteers, regardless of their employment status, shall be granted a hazard pay of P3,000 every month if it is enacted into law.
“Marapat naman talagang mabigyan sila ng tamang compensation. Give what is due to them. All government personnel should be entitled to hazard pay, particularly ‘yung talagang mga delikadong trabaho tulad nito,” he concluded.
