Speaker pushes Department of Disaster Resilience bill

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday renewed his call for the passage of a bill creating the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR), saying the coronavirus response should not take attention away from the urgency of protecting communities from natural calamities.

The Speaker’s call echoed that of President Rodrigo Duterte who urged the House of Representatives and the Senate to pass the DDR bill swiftly during his fifth State of the Nation Address last week.

House Bill No. 5989, or the proposed Disaster Resilience Act, seeks to create the DDR, an agency dedicated to disaster preparedness, prevention, mitigation, response, recovery and rehabilitation. It is under plenary debates on second reading in the House.

—DJ Yap