Duterte urges repeal of law requiring damage assessment before declaring state of calamity

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday called for the repeal of a law requiring an assessment of the damage in disaster-hit areas before a declaration of a state of calamity could be made.

Days after he apologized for the delay in the government response to the massive impact of Typhoon Odette, Duterte advised the next administration on the need for a law on the immediate release of funds for calamity-hit areas.

"The law should be changed and it behooves upon this Congress if they want to or the next president may I advise to try to repeal the law... Di na kailangan ng assessment," Duterte said.

Malacañang has defended Duterte's declaration of the state of calamity four days after the wrath of typhoon Odette, saying it was made at the appropriate time. 

The declaration of state of calamity paves the way for the use of calamity fund and automatically freezes the price of goods in the affected areas

Typhoon Odette first hit the country on December 16. Its wrath continued to a few days as it crossed parts of the Visayas and Mindanao/

Duterte said the law, which he called "stupid," became a problem in the immediate declaration, which will help in the speedy rehabiliation and relief efforts in Odette-hit areas.

"Bago ako makagalaw and that is really so many provisions in the law that would hinder the government to just act immediately because there has to be... before a declaration there has to be an evaluation and assessment of damage before you can declare state of calamity," Duterte said.

"These are stupid laws passed by Congress  sila man ang final word diyan whether it should be or should be not," he added.

The Chief Executive also said the assessment and evaluation could not be done immediately while rescue efforts are ongoing in typhoon-stricken areas.

"Ang critical and everybody knows it is three days maghintay pa ako ng report and I cannot rely on (Office of Civil Defense chief) Undersecretary Jalad kasi kasagsagan lang "'yan ng ano,"Duterte said.

"An evaluation of assessment of damage could not be had immediately that is really silly and that puts a cap on my power.... to declare a state of calamity," he added.

"Kaya we had to call DBM [Department of Budget and Management], na kung ganoon patay na lahat ng tao because Undersecretary Jalad is busy rescuing and retrieving patay na tao. Sino naman ugok na magawa yan [assessment and evaluation] immediately?" Duterte said. —NB, GMA News