Senator Grace Poe has supported calls for the rightsizing of the Philippines' bureacracy to pave the way for the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR).
Poe reiterated her appeal for the establishment of the proposed DDR, noting Taal Volcano's eruptions, expected typhoons and the persisting COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
“The situation of our vulnerable countrymen becomes more difficult in the face of calamities amid the pandemic. We must not lose time to efficiently plan and collaborate on disaster risk mitigation and management,” Poe said in a statement.
Poe is among the senators who sought to establish a single department to handle all matters and programs concerning disaster management and response.
“We should transcend post-calamity coordination and undertake inclusive whole-of-society planning to lessen the impact of disasters and build resilient communities,” Poe said.
“All sectors must take into account the effects of climate change in all their undertakings,” she added.
Poe expressed hope that the 18th Congress, in its remaining one year, would pass the bills creating the DDR.
The House of Representatives passed on third and final reading in September last year their measure creating the DDR.
In November, however, Senator Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Senate defense committee that handles the bills for the creation of the DDR, expressed concern on the practicality of the move.
Lacson said it could be a financial burden for the government, as ₱1.5 billion would supposedly be needed for merely setting up the proposed department.
Last week, foreign and local business organizations wrote the government to advocate for priority reforms and the passage of 17 measures, including the creation of the DDR.
They said the measures will "generate substantial impact in our shared vision of inclusive growth."