Former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has appealed to winners in the general elections to “hit the ground running” so that the country would not lag further behind during the worsening economic crisis.
“Whoever wins in whatever position – be it local, national, party-list– I think we need to hit the ground running” Cayetano told reporters.
He stressed that with economic problems “piling up,” newly elected officials do not have the luxury to take a “vacation” even after the intense campaign period.
He said among others, the prices of fertilizers, basic goods, and transport have gone up.
“The government will also have to make hard decisions in balancing wages and what businesses can afford,” he said.
Cayetano is at seventh spot in the senatorial race according to the partial and unofficial count from the Commission on Elections.
Asked if he will pursue the Senate presidency should he make a comeback in the Senate, Cayetano said it remains to be seen.
Cayetano also added that disaster response has to go beyond delivering relief goods and must include rehabilitation as well, as he called on the Senate to pass the bill creating the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR).
Cayetano made the call as parts of Visayas and Mindanao continue to reel from the aftermath of Tropical Storm Agaton that left 212 people dead and 132 missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRMC).
“I hope we don’t have to wait for the next Senate kasi meron pa namang ilang session days bago matapos po ang Kongresong ito (because we still have a few session days before the [18th] Congress ends),” he added.
The storm affected more than 2.2 million people across nine regions of the country, leaving an estimated P1.3 billion in agricultural damage and another P6.9 million in damages to infrastructure.
The NDRRMC also reported that it has released more than PHP82 million in relief goods and other forms of assistance to those affected by “Agaton’’ as of April 24.
Cayetano also pointed out that having a single government agency in charge of disaster response in the country will ensure accountability.
“Yung Department of Disaster Resilience po ay napaka importante kasi kailangan po pagdating sa pagmi-mitigate ng mga disasters at tsaka pagdating po sa rehabilitation, may isang nagtuturo, may isang pong accountable, at isa pong nakatutok talaga dyan (The Department of Disaster Resilience is so important to mitigate disasters and when it comes to rehabilitation, there should be an entity that should take responsibility and be held accountable),” he said.
Cayetano said allowing government departments to take on too many tasks would lead to a lack of executive focus, which was the primary reason for devolving the former Department of Education, Culture and Sports into separate agencies for basic education, higher education and technical education.
He recalled how multiple government agencies involved in disaster response have had to take on additional tasks during the pandemic.
Under House Bill No. 5989, the DDR will be the primary government agency responsible for leading, organizing, and managing the national effort to reduce disaster risk, prepare for and respond to disasters, recover and rehabilitate, and build forward better after the occurrence of disasters.
It would also oversee and coordinate the preparation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of disaster and climate resilience plans, programs, projects, and activities, among others.