Legarda suggests Marcos lead NDRRMC to ensure whole of gov't response to disasters

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda on Friday floated the idea of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. heading the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to ensure a whole-of-government response to natural catastrophes.

The lawmaker suggested this after Senator Imee Marcos, in a situation briefing Thursday, recommended strengthening the NDRRMC instead of creating a new department for disaster response, to which the President agreed.

Despite her suggestion, Legarda echoed the need for a Department of Disaster Resilience so the government could be more proactive in future disasters.

The lawmaker said the name or form of the department was not important, but she emphasized that the agency should not be response-oriented.

She added that the agency should be created for a closer, immediate and efficient convergence and collaboration of all the agencies.

"Right now, the NDRRM Council is headed by the [Secretary of] National Defense. Just like the President is heading temporarily the Department of Agriculture, perhaps, the President may consider heading the NDRRMC or we can even amend the NDRRM Law," she said in an interview on CNN Philippines.

"So it is truly a whole-of-government approach where no less than the President would command because we can see and I saw it in the past congresses that the drawdown and the utilization of the NDRRM fund can be very very tedious from the bureaucratic red tape."

Legarda said that local government units had to beg from the national government before the NDRRM funds could be released.

"People who are affected by disasters need not beg for help from the national government and so it would be perhaps wise to strengthen the NDRRMC Law of 2010. That is another possibility which may be more doable in light of the rightsizing." she added.

$300 million standby facility

Legarda also said the Philippines could tap around $300 million from the $500 million loan from the World Bank after the onslaught of Typhoon Odette last year.

Citing information from a World Bank representative based in Singapore, Legarda said there was a $300 million standby facility that could be drawn within 48 hours upon the advice of the Philippine government.

"There is a 300 million US dollars still pending that can be utilized immediately for Northern Luzon and the Cordillera earthquake and I'm referring to the Philippines' 4th DRM policy loan," she said.

"If utilized, or even advised to the World Bank, this can probably be drawn down within 48 hours," she added.

According to Legarda, this loan could be used to provide basic needs such as water filtration facilities, electricity, and food to the affected Filipinos in Northern Luzon.

This could also be used for the reconstruction of homes as well as the heritage and cultural sites in the north. — Hana Bordey/DVM, GMA News