Photo Release

Estrada takes up disaster-related measures: Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, chairperson of the Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, presided over the public hearing on various proposed measures that aims to improve disaster response and promote the welfare and well-being of workers in the field of disaster risk reduction and management Tuesday, August 13, 2024.

Estrada, in his opening statement, emphasized the need to craft measures that would enhance the current systems for managing and addressing natural calamities. This would involve better implementing mechanisms and deploying well-equipped personnel.

“With the country being highly vulnerable to harsher impacts of climate change and natural phenomena, the continued development of innovative means and refinement of existing ways of response and management of disasters are imperative,” Estrada added.

Among those discussed were Senate Bill No. 2643 (SBN 2643), which seeks to institutionalize a mechanism on the declaration of state of imminent disaster, providing the criteria for such declaration and lifting, enabling anticipatory measures; SBNs 1518, 1692, 1354, 1709 and 2465 or Magna Carta for Public Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Workers, SBN 1886 which seeks to amend the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 and SBN 2723 and House Bill No 9571 or the proposed Chemical Weapons Prohibition Act. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate Social Media Unit)