The Department of National Defense (DND) expressed confidence Friday, July 22, that the capability of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to respond to calamities will not be affected by the transfer of additional task to lead the Covid-19 pandemic response.
Aside from being the primary government agency mandated to respond to different calamities or disasters, the NDRRMC – one of the bureaus under the DND – will also now take over the role of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 in leading the fight against the pandemic.
“I think it will not . The NDRRMC will treat Covid-19 just like any calamity. The only difference is that it is ongoing. It started in 2019 and now it’s slowly becoming the new normal,” said DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong in a Laging Handa appearance.
“I think it will make more organized because all the for potential disasters and emergencies will be under one umbrella organization. It’s better for the NDRRMC to cover this Covid-19,” he added.
Malacanang previously announced that it will transfer the responsibilities of the NTF Against Covid-19 to the NDRRMC as part of the reorganization of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).
“There will be not much of a difference because the members of the NDRRMC are also members of the task force on Covid-19. But now, the NDRRMC will be more hands on when it comes to the Covid-19 response,” Andolong said.
The NDRRMC is a multi-agency council led by a chairperson who is also the Secretary of the DND. Under the present administration, it is DND Officer-in-Charge Jose Faustino Jr.
“Since the Department of Health (DOH) is also included in the Council, at least the NDRRMC will help support them in terms of providing biosecurity and biohazard, and prepare for any disease that will come out in the years to come,” Andolong noted.
The DND spokesperson also stated that the funding for Covid-19 response will not be an issue since the agencies that are members of the Council have their own respective budgets.