Senatorial candidate Ben Tulfo is eyeing for the establishment of a Department of Disaster and Emergency, which would oversee the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Currently, the NDRRMC operates under the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), which is itself part of the Department of National Defense (DND).
Tulfo also emphasized that the Department of Disaster and Emergency he is advocating for includes the welfare of its personnel.
The senatorial candidate made this statement yesterday during a four-day training on disaster preparedness for the Tacloban Chapter of the League of Barangays, which was attended by 728 barangay officials from the province.
“I want to take this opportunity, in God’s will and God’s grace if I win, I want to revisit the existing House Bill 8165 or the Department of Disaster Resilience Act na pumasa noon sa Kongreso noong 2020, na minaliit naman ng ilang mga senador noong nakaraang administrasyon,” paliwanag pa ng tumatakbong senador.
According to Tulfo, the NDRRMC needs to be separated in order to ensure proper and immediate responses to disasters, as well as the swift distribution of relief goods followed by rehabilitation efforts for those affected.
Furthermore, the senatorial candidate mentioned that according to the World Risk Index (WRI), the Philippines has been the number one disaster-prone country in the world since 2009, continuing through 2023 and 2024.
“Ang mga bagyo at pagbaha ngayon ay unpredictable at talagang mapaminsala. Kung dati ang Mindanao ay traditionally safe, ngayon, hindi na tayo ligtas (Storms and floods are now unpredictable and truly devastating. While Mindanao was traditionally considered safe, we are no longer safe),” he explained.