President Rodrigo Duterte supports the passage of a bill seeking to create a new department focusing on disaster resilience by yearend, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the Cabinet approved the bill establishing the Department of Disaster Resilience—in line with what the President said during his second State of the Nation Address last July 2017.
The President has invited Leyte Rep. Yedda Romualdez—familiar with the experience of Taclobanons when Typhoon “Yolanda” struck in 2013—to discuss the salient points of the pending bill in the House which will create the new department on disaster preparedness and emergency.
“The Palace will also draft an executive bill on the creation of this new department to be submitted to Congress,” he said in a phone interview, adding the President wanted to have a distinct department solely operating for disaster and calamity response.
During Duterte’s Sona in 2017, the President recounted some of the past calamities that struck the country, viewing these events of natural hazards as huge, real, and imminent threats to the lives of Filipinos.
Roque said the President would provide a budget exclusive for the creation and operations of the department.
The allocation, however, was not yet included in the 2019 budget proposal.
“It is possible to extract a contingency fund from around P30 billion budget for 2019,” said Roque, adding that upon the establishment of the new department, the National Risk Reduction Management Council would be removed.
In his Sona last year, the President called on both houses of Congress to pass a law creating a new agency focusing on disaster management, responding to the prevailing 21st-century conditions, and delivering enhance disaster resiliency and quick disaster response.