Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian reiterated his plan to institutionalize long-term solutions that would allow local government units (LGUs) to respond more effectively during states of calamity in light of the recent flash floods and landslides in Caraga and Southern Mindanao.
Gatchalian issued this statement when he distributed a total of 12,800 sacks of rice worth P16 million to disaster-stricken residents in the provinces of Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, and Agusan del Sur over the weekend.
“Panahon na para taasan ang antas ng kahandaan ng mga LGU upang mapanatili ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan (It is about time that we increase the level of preparedness of our LGUs to ensure the protection of our countrymen),” Gatchalian said in a statement released by his office Saturday.
According to the senator, disaster-mitigation efforts would be greatly improved if LGUs had the necessary funds to provide local infrastructure projects designed to protect their localities against natural disasters.
This is the subject of Senate Bill No. 939, which seeks to expand the application of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF), by amending Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction Management Act of 2010.
Gatchalian filed this proposal in August 2022 and it is pending at the committee level. The bill hopes to provide LGUs more leeway in implementing projects that would strengthen their disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and rehabilitation capabilities.
Recently, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also issued its own resolution that amended some of the prevailing guidelines that granted some struggling LGUs easier access to calamity funds.