Bongbong Renews Call for Standard Disaster Response Code

The 65 deaths and massive destruction of properties caused by typhoon “Seniang” last December make new compelling reasons for the urgent codification of disaster management procedures.

This developed as Marcos renewed his call for the government to come up with a standard code of best practices in risk reduction and disaster response.

He noted that the government had made a big improvement in terms and preparation and coordination for typhoon “Ruby” compared to typhoon “Yolanda.”

“Gawin na nating standard procedure yung ginawa sa (typhoon) ‘Ruby’ dahil maganda ang naging resulta. Maganda ang naging ugnayan sa local government (units), ang tulungan ng private at public institutions…Wag tayo papayag na tsamba-tsamba na lang ang performance sa disaster management, disaster response, disaster mitigation. Kailangan, i-codify na natin lahat yan,” he told reporters during the “Kapihan sa Senado” breakfast forum.

Marcos said the procedures and response to “Ruby” should be made part of an omnibus code of disaster response which should be formulated immediately and implemented when a calamity strikes.

“Gawin na nating kasama sa procedure ng NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction Council) ‘yung ginawa natin sa Ruby. I-codify na natin, isulat na natin, para hindi nagkakagulo,” he said.

Marcos expressed disappointment over the poor performance of the government in response to the onslaught of typhoon “Seniang” last December.

‘Yung Seniang, imposibleng sasabihin na sinundan nila yung ginawa nila sa Ruby dahil nakita naman natin ang resulta. Hindi kasing lakas ng Ruby yun. Bakit naman ganun ang nangyari?” he said.

He added: “Let us codify it, isulat na natin para de-numero. Para pagdating ng bagyo alam na nang lahat ang gagawin kahit may masirang facilities, walang communication alam na ang gagawin.”

Marcos said the participation and role of different sectors should be defined and workable.

“It is time to sit down seriously apportion the responsibilities para pagdating ng bagyo, sa bawat agency, pati na ang mga local governments, alam kung papaano ang magiging ugnayan nila on all fronts,” he said.

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