Drilon, Lacson oppose proposal to create Department of Disaster Resilience

Senators Franklin Drilon and Panfilo Lacson on Monday opposed the proposal to establish the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR), citing impracticability and possible lack of funding.

Calls for the creation of the DDR amplified after parts of the country were successively hit by Typhoon Quinta and Super Typhoon Rolly.

But in a statement, Drilon outrightly rejected the proposal, saying it was only a "knee-jerk reaction" that will only further bloat the bureaucracy.

“I do not see the need for a full department only for disaster resilience. I believe that an overall plan on the number of departments should be in place, instead of a ‘knee-jerk’ push for a creation of certain departments,” he said.

“If it ain’t broke, why fix it?” he added.

According to Drilon, the creation of the DDR would only increase bureaucracy instead of streamline it.

“A new department will mean new offices for undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, bureaus and regional offices, with corresponding support staff and additional maintenance and other operating expenses. The Personnel Services budget today already constitutes at least one third of the national budget,” he said.

“I believe that numerous national agencies and GOCCs now have duplicating functions and should be rationalized before we start creating new offices or departments,” Drilon added.

What the government must do, Drilon said, is strengthen the coordination and planning among agencies concerned with disaster response, such as the timely access to disaster funds by local government units as first responders to calamities.

“The challenge remains on the planning and better coordination,” he said.

“There is already an established system with the NDRRMC and the OCD at the forefront. We do not see an urgent need to change it through the creation of a new department and by appointing new secretary, undersecretaries and assistant secretaries,” he added.

For his part, Lacson questioned the feasibility and the funding for the proposed new department.

"The Department of Budget and Management says at least P1.5 billion is needed to set up the department. That does not yet include added salaries, capital outlay like office facilities, furniture, vehicles, MOOE [maintenance and other operating expenses], and CIF [confidential and intelligence funds]," he said.

Lacson also cited the concerns of the stakeholders themselves who appeared as resource persons in deliberations of the Senate on the proposal.

He pointed out that the implementation of disaster response, particularly recovery and rehabilitation, will not be carried out by the department but by existing agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of Health.

He also noted that the newly created departments like the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development are already not being funded properly.

"Having said that, a dedicated office under the Office of the President with a Cabinet rank and full authority to mobilize the concerned government agencies before, during and after calamities both natural and man-made—from policy-making and planning all the way to implementation—would do the job with much less funding and minimum number of staff and personnel," Lacson said.

"In contrast, a council-type organization like the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has a very limited capability mainly because it is merely coordinative," he added.

The House of Representatives has already approved on third and final reading a similar measure back in September.

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco urged the Senate to prioritize their approval of the measure.

“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 said. — BM, GMA News