Velasco urges Senate to prioritize Dep't of Disaster Resilience bill

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Monday urged the Senate to prioritize the approval of the bill creating the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR), which the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading last month.

Velasco made the call in the aftermath of Typhoon Quinta that ravaged parts of Luzon including his home province of Marinduque.

“We earnestly urge our counterparts in the Senate to pass their own version so we can subsequently work on the enrolled bill to be sent to President Duterte’s desk for his signature,” Velasco said in a statement.

“The Philippines is frequented by typhoons and our country is in the Pacific Ring of Fire, making us vulnerable to earthquakes. A Department that deals specifically with disaster response and management is urgently needed,” he added.

A total of 241 House members voted to approve House Bill 5989 creating the DDR, while seven voted against it.

The measure mandates the DDR to be the primary government agency responsible for "leading, organizing, and managing the national effort to reduce disaster risk, prepare for and respond to disasters, recover and rehabilitate, and build forward better after the occurrence of disasters."

Under the measure, the DDR may undertake and implement emergency measures in anticipation of, during, and after disasters in order to protect and preserve life and property as well as to ensure and promote public safety and welfare.

These emergency measures include the carrying out of preemptive and forced evacuation, imposition of curfew, and temporary takeover of any private utility or business subject to payment of just compensation when there is possible loss of lives or damage to property.

Velasco said the creation of the DDR will significantly help the country in mitigating the effects of natural disasters, especially now that the world is facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The creation of a Department of Disaster Resilience allows us to be constantly prepared and well-equipped when natural disasters occur. This will enable other Departments to put all their focus and efforts in helping the country recover from COVID-19,” he said.

Several bills seeking creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience have been filed in the Senate but these are still pending in the committee level.—AOL, GMA News