Senatorial bet Rep. Martin Romualdez of Leyte has called for the creation of the Philippines’ own equivalent of the Federal Emergency Management Agency , saying “we need to seriously consider retooling and upgrading the existing National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council from the ground up to make the country’s disaster preparation and response systems more comprehensive.”
Fema is an agency connected with the US Department of Homeland Security. Its main purpose is to coordinate federal government efforts during those times local and state authorities are overwhelmed in times of disasters and natural calamities.
“We need to elevate disaster management to a permanent position in the Cabinet,” Romualdez stressed.
“The country experiences an average of 20 typhoons a year, the effects of which cost billions of pesos to rehabilitate. We are located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire that’s very prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. These factors clearly justify the creation of a full-time, cabinet-rank agency similar to the Fema,” Romualdez urged.
The solon, who is also a UP-trained lawyer, cited the limitations of the current NDRRMC.
“The reality is, the NDRRMC operates mostly ad-hoc, and ‘as the need arises.’ You don’t hear about it and you don’t feel its presence when there’s no actual disaster or calamity.”
With the creation of a Fema-patterned agency, Romualdez said the government would be able to implement comprehensive nationwide disaster trainings, coordinated through the appropriate instrumentalities such as the Department of National Defense, Department of Education and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
“What would make a Fema-like entity different from the existing NDRRMC, among others, is the capacity to provide trained personnel and experts to LGUs for more training and preparation on a more regular basis.”
“A department similar to Fema could be entrusted with the authority to provide calamity victims needed loans that cut the red tape. We’ve complained about how inefficiently the DSWD manages delivery of disaster assistance. This can be solved if there’s a permanent government agency dedicated to the sole purpose of addressing issues before, during and after disasters,” Romualdez maintained.
He added that the Aquino administration’s 2013 appointment of a “rehab czar” in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda exposed the limitations of a provisional government response to disaster management.
Yolanda claimed the lives of an estimated 6,300 people and left another half a million homeless.
“It’s high time we seriously consider this Fema-like proposal. I’m from Tacloban, and I’ve seen first-hand the devastating effects of the lack of a well-coordinated government action during life-threatening calamities. We need to ensure that those human errors don’t happen again, not just in the Visayas but in every vulnerable part of the country,” the congressman insisted.