No need to abolish NDRRMC, says Villar

VILLAR. Photo by RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines – There is no need to abolish the National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Senator Cynthia Villar said on Friday.

“There is no need to abolish the NDRRMC. Their views on disaster preparedness should be the one changed,” said Villar at the sidelines of the third Overseas Filipino Workers and Family Summit held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Villar issued the statement  when sought to react to Senate  Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s proposal for the creation of a separate department that will take the  place of the  NDRRMC.

Cayetano filed a bill Thursday, seeking to create an Emergency Response Department that will focus on overseeing humanitarian aid and rehabilitation response during disasters.

“The Philippine experience shows that there is a need to establish a clear chain of command in times of major disasters, a focused and specialized single government agency that functions not only after the occurrence of disasters, but works all-year-round to ensure that effective mechanisms for disaster risk reduction,” Cayetano said in his bill.

His proposal came two weeks after the government drew criticisms from international humanitarian aids and international media for its slow disaster response and disorganized recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Tacloban city and other areas ripped by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan).

Senator Grace Poe has also proposed to separate the NDRRMC from the Department of National Defense for faster and better disaster response.

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