Poe: Time to create disaster resilience agency

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Grace Poe reiterated her call for the immediate passage of the bill that would create the Department of Disaster Resilience and Emergency Management, saying the people’s safety needs cannot wait.

Poe made the statement in the wake of Tropical Depression Usman, which hit the Bicol region and Samar provinces late last year and claimed more than 100 lives.

Poe said she received text messages from people trapped in their homes and seeking help. She bewailed a seeming lack of coordination between the national government and local government units, “because there is really no point person at NDRRMC,” Poe said in a radio interview.?

She was referring to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Poe filed Senate Bill 1735 in March 2018, seeking the creation of a new agency which will have the authority in the policymaking, planning, coordination, implementation and evaluation of programs relating to disaster risk reduction and management.?

Poe had filed the bill as early as 2013, saying that the government should not just sit and wait for disasters to happen given the frequency of extreme weather situations being experienced by the country.?

The House of Representatives earlier approved its version of the bill on final reading.

Poe said the NDRRMC is technically under the Department of National Defense, which is also addressing many concerns. She also observed that the council is almost powerless because it is not headed by an official with Cabinet rank.