(CHRISTIAN DALE)

PARA kay Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., sapat na ang isang bagong National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) authority o administration kaysa sa bagong departamento para tugunan ang concerns ukol sa calamity response.

Sa situation briefing matapos bisitahin ang lalawigan ng Abra, pumayag si Pangulong Marcos sa panukala ng nakatatandang kapatid na si Senadora Imee Marcos.
Sinabi ng senadora na hindi kailangan ng bansa ang isang bagong departamento.

“We are siblings indeed, I fully agree; I did not ever, I did not ever understand the concept of a full […] department. I don’t think it needs that because you don’t really have to form policy,” ayon kay Pangulong Marcos.

“It is just an implementation of a rescue mission or a search and rescue mission, there are many models, but the good model that I’ve seen is FEMA. And that’s only an adjunct of… Ministry of Interior yata ‘yon eh,” dagdag na pahayag ng Pangulo.

Naniniwala kasi ang senadora na ang bagong ahensya ay maaaring ilagay sa ilalim ng Office of the President para sa “quick deployment and management.”

“Mr. President, I think the report of General Torres as well (of) as our Chief of Staff merely highlights the inefficiency our system that they have to break the chain of command, they have to call on other departments, Secretary (Erwin) Tulfo has to come here, the President himself has to come here merely underlies the urgency of empowering the NDRRMC,” ayon kay Sen. Marcos sa nasabi pa ring briefing.

“May I recommend by way of another ‘Imee Solusyon’, rather than (a) full-scale department na mauubos lang ang budget sa sahod ng limang Usec, sangkatutak na Asec, can we start by an NDRRMC authority or administration, tulad ni Apo Lakay, ‘yong DBM (Department of Budget and Management) nag-umpisa bilang commission,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Sa Kongreso, nagkakaisa ang ilang mambabatas na ipinaalala ng malakas na lindol nitong Miyerkoles ang kahalagahan ng Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) kaya dapat anilang ipasa ito sa dalawang kapulungan ng Kongreso.

“This strong earthquake that struck us should be the last reminder to Congress on the urgent necessity of creating the Department of Disaster Resilience,” ani Ang Probinsyano party-list Rep. Alfred delos Santos.

Noong nakaraang Kongreso ay napakasa sa ikatlo at huling pagbasa ang nasabing panukala subalit hindi ito naaksyunan ng kanilang counterpart sa Senado kaya hindi ito naging batas.

“(We) need for the immediate passage of the measure seeking to establish a Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) which will coordinate and better manage the country’s disaster preparedness, response and rehabilitation efforts,” ayon naman kay Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte.

Dahil dito, muling inihain ang nasabing panukala at posibleng isang pagdinig na lamang ang gagawin ng Kongreso para maibalik ito sa plenaryo at muling ipasa sa ikalawa at ikatlong pagbasa.
Maaaring gamitin ang “Section 48 ng House Rules” na lahat ng mga panukalang batas na naipasa sa ikatlo at huling pagbasa noong nakaraang Kongreso ay puwedeng ipasa agad sa committee level na hindi na dadaanan sa mahabang proseso tulad ng pagtatayo ng technical working group (TWG) para pag-aralan ang panukala. (May dagdag na ulat si BERNARD TAGUINOD)