Medialdea to head typhoon task force

MANILA, Philippines — Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea will lead the typhoon rehabilitation task force that President Duterte has ordered set up to fast-track and facilitate response to disasters, especially in the release of funds.

The Build Back Better Task Force, Malacañang stressed, will not duplicate the functions of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said an executive order creating the task force is being prepared.

“Our solution really is the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience, but it has yet to be realized. So obviously, the council that is working is not enough, although we have a competent executive director, Usec. (Ricardo) Jalad,” Roque said at a press briefing yesterday.

“The task force really is to stress that someone has to be in charge and the person in charge is the executive secretary with the full assistance of the entire Cabinet,” he added.

Roque said the task force would focus on post-disaster rehabilitation and recovery of typhoon-hit areas even before the enactment of a law creating the Department of Disaster Resilience.

The body will have a clear chain of command and direct mandate to address and monitor the various issues and concerns involved in the rehabilitation and recovery of typhoon-ravaged areas.

The members of the task force will include the agriculture, public works, budget and social welfare departments, National Irrigation Administration, National Electrification Administration and National Housing Authority. The military and the coast guard are expected to provide assistance to the task force.

“So in the mind of the President, ES (executive secretary) will be in charge and all agencies are expected to cooperate and to help, so the giving of assistance will be faster,” Roque said.

“It will be headed by the executive secretary, he is primus inter pares of the Cabinet. We look up to the executive secretary as the primus inter pares. In English, that means the first amongst equals,” he added.

Roque said designating Medialdea as head of the task force would hasten the release of funds for communities affected by typhoons.

“That is one of the unique features of the task force. The NDRRMC is composed of various agencies of the government. But of course, ES can directly say, ‘Where are the funds, DBM (Department of Budget and Management)? National Treasurer, please release the funds.’ The process would be that easy,” the Palace spokesman said.

No duplication

Roque stressed the role of the task force would not overlap with that of the NDRRMC’s.

“They (NDRRMC) will perform the staff work and will still coordinate rescue and relief operations, including the giving of warnings. We have a law obligating the NDRRMC to provide this early warning to our countrymen,” Roque said.

“So there will be no superfluity. It will facilitate the easier and the faster provision of relief and assistance during calamities,” he added.

Roque said the creation of a task force is necessary due to successive disasters that hit the country.

“Even without a council meeting, the executive secretary can make decisions, especially if it means saving lives,” he said.

Roque expressed hope that the successive typhoons that hit the country would prod lawmakers to pass the bill creating the disaster resilience agency.

“Perhaps those who are opposed (to the measure) in Congress will now see why we need this new agency,” he added.

Sen. Bong Go welcomed the creation of an inter-agency task force that would singularly focus on fast-tracking recovery and rehabilitation efforts in areas affected by the recent series of typhoons.

Go reassured the public that a whole-of-government approach is underway to ensure prompt and sufficient response to the needs of typhoon victims as well as in rebuilding affected communities severely hit by typhoons the past days.

He emphasized that President Duterte has been consistent in his marching orders for all concerned agencies to immediately assist all affected Filipinos, utilize all available resources to restore normalcy as soon as possible and mobilize the whole government for a holistic approach towards recovery and rehabilitation.

“Rescue and response operations of the military and uniformed personnel will continue until everyone needing help is saved,” Go said in Filipino. “Everything is being done to restore the supply of electricity, communications and water in affected areas.

“Trust us to do everything we can to help you rise from this challenge. Your government that always cares will not abandon you. Let’s help each other,” he added.

“Our government is all hands on deck. The President is in charge and took part in the planning and preparation process,” Go said.

Aid for MSMEs

More than P100 million worth of assistance would be made available to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the recent typhoons, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in an interview with ANC yesterday.

He said DTI’s financial arm Small Business Corp. can also extend loans through the COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises facility to small and medium businesses damaged by the typhoons.

“For the loan part, it’s about P100 million. For the livelihood support, it is about P10 million. Basically, we’re getting from whatever we still have in the budget right now,” he said.

Apart from providing support to affected MSMEs, he said the DTI would also continue to monitor prices of goods to ensure price freeze in areas placed under a state of calamity.

“There’s a price freeze in all these areas with the state of calamity. So, there would be continued monitoring,” he said.

Under Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act, an automatic 60-day price freeze would be implemented for basic necessities in areas under state of calamity.

Products covered by the price freeze include canned sardines, processed milk, coffee, candles, detergent or laundry soap, bread, iodized salt and bottled water.

Areas under a state of calamity due to the recent typhoons include Albay, Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Cavite, Catanduanes, Marikina and Cagayan.

Violation is punishable with a P1-million fine and/or imprisonment of 10 years.

SSS loan guidelines

The Social Security System (SSS), meanwhile, has released the guidelines for members and pensioners applying for calamity assistance package.

Earlier, the SSS announced calamity assistance packages starting Nov. 27 for members affected by Typhoons Rolly, Quinta and Ulysses.

The package includes the Calamity Loan Assistance Program (CLAP) and three-month advance pension, which will be available until Feb. 26, as well as the Direct House Repair and Improvement Loan, which will be open for one year.

Under the CLAP, qualified members may avail themselves of loans equivalent to the average of their last 12 monthly salary credits (MSC) rounded up to the nearest thousand, or the amount they applied for, whichever is lower.

To qualify for the loan, applicants must be a resident of areas declared under state of calamity by the NDRRMC.

An applicant must have a My.SSS account and at least 36 monthly contributions, six of which should have been posted within the last 12 months before the month of application. He or she should not have claimed any final benefit such as permanent total disability or retirement and no outstanding loans under the Loan Restructuring Program or previous CLAPs.

The calamity loan is payable within two years in equal monthly installments, with a 10-percent interest rate per annum and a one-percent penalty for late payments.

Cagayan River dredging

Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has proposed the immediate dredging of Cagayan River and the planting of some 200 million tree seedlings in low-lying agricultural areas in the province, which suffered its worst flooding in decades due to heavy rains brought by Typhoon Ulysses.

Cimatu made the proposals at a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Duterte in Tuguegarao City last Sunday. The President and his Cabinet flew to Cagayan’s capital city to personally assess the damage caused by the typhoon.

“These are the interventions which we can already start. I think if we do these, we can already make a difference,” Cimatu told Duterte during the Cabinet meeting.

The Chief Executive expressed full support for Cimatu’s proposals. “Go for it and I will support you all the way,” the President said.

Cimatu said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has been conducting reforestation activities in Cagayan through the Enhanced National Greening Program (ENGP) with focus on upland areas.

He said low-lying agricultural areas, including privately owned lands, should now be included in the coverage of ENGP.

The DENR chief said he has already approved the request of Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba for the dredging of Cagayan River, covering some 30 kilometers.

According to Cimatu, dredging will remove a constricted section of Cagayan River called Magapit Narrows, which snake through the towns of Alcala, Lal-lo and Gattaran.

To prevent typhoon casualties, families living in danger zones should be resettled, according to Human Settlements Secretary Eduardo del Rosario.

“We will coordinate directly with the local government units to identify highly susceptible areas prone to flooding so that we can enforce resettlement of our people to safer ground to prevent casualties in the future,” Del Rosario said.

He said areas prone to flooding may be any of the three categories – highly susceptible, moderate and less susceptible. – Rhodina Villanueva, Mary Grace Padin, Louella Desiderio