Senator Panfilo Lacson. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson is seeking a review of the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 not only to improve its implementation but also to make it more responsive in dealing with the “new normal” effects of climate change.
“There is a need to revisit the Act in order determine its effectivity and relevance when it comes to the country’s response to the challenges of the ‘new normal’ and the alarming rate of climate change, and to propose possible remedial measures,” Lacson said in Senate Resolution No. 10.
The senator noted that Republic Act 10121, known as the “Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010,” was enacted on May 27, 2010 to strengthen the country’s institutional capacity for disaster risk reduction and management and build local communities’ resilience to disaster and climate change impacts.
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While many natural and manmade calamities have hit the country since the law was passed, he said, it was Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) that “tested the legal and institutional capabilities of both the national and local governments” and “exposed the disconnect between the provisions of the Act and the realities and dynamics on the grounds.”
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As former head of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery from December 2013 to February 2015, Lacson said he had seen firsthand the destruction brought by Yolanda and coordinated rehabilitation efforts for those affected by the calamity.
The senator also pointed out that while the law provides for a congressional sunset review five years after its passage, no such evaluation had taken place.
“(T)here is also a necessity to evaluate the performance of government agencies in implementing the provisions of the Act and to determine whether the mandates were carried out effectively, and if the mechanisms and processes established are effectual,” he said.
Lacson urged the Senate to direct the Congressional Oversight Committee on the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 to conduct a “systematic evaluation” of the accomplishments and impact of the law as well as the performance and organizational structure of its implementing agencies, for purposes of determining remedial legislation. IDL/rga