Amid the recent calamities that struck the country, Camarines Sur 5th district Rep. Migz Villafuerte highlighted a new law that authorizes national agencies and local government units (LGUs) to make anticipatory actions that could save more lives and temper the impact of imminent disasters.

Villafuerte was referring to the “Declaration of State of Imminent Disaster Act", which President Marcos signed as Republic Act (RA) No.12287.

The Bicolano says that under the new law, LGUs are now empowered to mount disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) initiatives even before forecasted calamities actually occur, as well as access LGU funds for such preemptive actions.

Signed last Sept. 12, RA No.12287 empowers the President to declare, through an executive order (EO), a “State of Imminent Disaster” over a cluster of regions, provinces, municipalities, cities and barangays, based on the recommendation by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Villafuerte said.

“Granting the national government and LGUs the authority to plan and act ahead of forecasted disasters to save more lives and mitigate the adverse effects of these upcoming calamities is of great urgency, given that the Philippines has been the most disaster-prone country in the world for two decades now,” noted the Bicolano.

Villafuerte said the Philippines had a risk score of 46.56 in the World Risk Index for 2025—unchanged from 2024 and still ahead of 192 other nations. The risk index was released by Germany’s Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft and Ruhr University Bochum.

“Local chief executives, upon the recommendation of the regional or local DRRM Councils, may also declare a ‘State of Imminent Disaster’ through an executive order in their respective areas of jurisdiction that are forecasted to be affected by an upcoming calamity,” he said.

Pre-emptive or forced evacuation of people in high-risk villages, if and when needed; procurement, mobilization, strategic preposition and distribute food and non-food items for the people in the would-be affected areas; implementation of a social amelioration program for the indigent and other most vulnerable members of the affected communities within their respective areas of jurisdiction; and Implementation of a contingency plans to mitigate damage to agricultural products and food supply.

To fund the anticipatory actions, Villafuerte said the declaration of imminent disaster shall allow the NDRRMC or regional and local DRRM councils to use national or local resources and mechanisms to implement anticipatory actions against forthcoming calamities within an identified or allowable lead time.

The NDRRMC or regional or local disaster risk councils are tasked to recommend, respectively, to the President and/or LGUs the declaration of imminent disaster after these agencies conduct the pre-disaster risk assessment.

Villafuerte said the importance of this new law to reduce the cost of emergency responses has been underscored by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Philippines.

Villafuerte, a former governor, along with then-Rep. and now Camarines Sur Governor LRay Villafuerte were among the authors of the House version of RA No.12287 during the previous 19th Congress.