Monsoon rains wet different parts of the country causing floods and worse, landslides in many areas with a warning from PAGASA that the southwest monsoon will continue to dump rains for the rest of the week.
The current weather situation stressed the importance of a Department of Disaster Resilience pushed by Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez. The lawmaker has expressed her gratitude to President Duterte for pushing the creation of the DDR in his last State of the Nation Address, especially amid the continuous rains that have been affecting many provinces in the northern regions.
“I am sure that many of our countrymen will benefit from this useful piece of legislation. It is about time that our country has its own Department of Disaster Resilience. Being a disaster prone country and a magnet for severe weather disturbances, this DDR should have been created a long time ago. There would have been less damages and losses had Congress earlier acted on the proposal,” Torres said.
Torres, who is the chairwoman of the House committee on Disaster Resilience, filed House Bill 5989, which proposes the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience, define its mandate, powers and functions, and appropriate funds for its operation.
She has highlighted the importance of having a single agency and a clear system of responsibility for disaster preparedness and response in all levels of the government.
House Bill No. 5989 has been approved on third and final reading. It was transmitted to the Senate last September 2020 and has remained unacted to date.
” I hope our honorable senators do the honorable thing during this third regular session of the 18th Congress: Pass the proposed Department of Disaster Resilience. Out country will have a fighting chance against losing so much when disaster strikes,” the legialator insisted.