Local execs face penalties should they fail to respond to floods

SILENT SCREAM This seemingly peaceful seascape is what remains of Bayug Island after rampaging floodwaters from the Mandulog River smashed through it early Saturday morning at the height of Tropical Storm “Sendong.” A settlement of Hinaplanon village, 3.7 kilometers northeast of the Iligan City poblacion, Bayug is considered the first Christian community in Iligan City. Before Saturday, it was home to 341 families. Only 100 families have been accounted for. The rest are missing and feared dead. RICHEL V. UMEL / INQUIRER MINDANAO

Local and national officials face disqualification from public office should they allow communities to live in hazardous areas and fail to respond to floods and landslides.

The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act punishes government officials who fail to protect the lives of their communities against disasters, said Lucille Sering, chairperson of the Climate Change Commission.

“They can be charged with dereliction of duty for shameful failure to fulfill their obligations,” Sering said in an interview Tuesday.

Section 19 of the law states that officials could be penalized for “dereliction of duties which leads to destruction, loss of lives, critical damage of facilities and misuse of funds.”

According to Sering, dereliction of duty included allowing people to live in hazardous areas, failing to follow geo-hazard maps, misusing funds earmarked for disaster response, having no evacuation plans, and refusing to heed weather warnings from the meteorological office.

Local governments can also be charged if they do not have a disaster risk and management team in their area, which is part of the law. The team and a calamity fund should be earmarked with not less than 5 percent of the local government’s revenue, the law said.

Those found guilty of violating of the law could be fined up to P500,000 and could be in jail for six to 12 years. They would also be disqualified from public office, if the offender is a government officer. Kristine L. Alave