POE PUSHES FOR STRONGER CALAMITY RESPONSE AMID PANDEMIC

Sen. Grace Poe batted for better response to calamities and swift aid to victims as floods and typhoons hammer the country amid the pandemic, leaving provinces submerged and affected residents flocking to evacuation centers (Isinulong ni Sen. Grace Poe na palakasin ang pagtugon sa kalamidad at pabilisin ang tulong sa mga nasalanta sa gitna ng hagupit ng pandemya).

"Walang ibang aasahan ang ating mga kababayan sa gitna ng kalamidad kundi ang agarang saklolo ng buong galamay ng gobyerno," said Poe.

Poe earlier filed Senate Bill No. 124 or the "Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System Act" that advocates for local government units (LGUs) to 'build back better', delimiting their duties from recovering to rebuilding communities to become more resilient to future calamities (Nauna nang inihain ni Poe ang Senate Bill No. 124 o ang "Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System Act" na naglalayong mapahusay ang pagtataguyod ng mga lokal na pamahalaan sa kanilang mga komunidad tungo sa mas matatag na pagharap sa mga darating pang kalamidad).

The said bill seeks to reform disaster risk reduction management institutions by establishing the Department of Disaster Resilience and Emergency Assistance and Management that will also consist of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (Layunin ng panukala na ireporma ang disaster risk reduction management ng bansa sa pamamagitan ng paglikha ng Department of Disaster Resilience and Emergency Assistance and Management na kabibilangan ng National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council).

The Department will be led by its own Secretary who will provide leadership with accountability and steer the country toward becoming disaster-resilient (Pangungunahan ang nasabing departamento ng sarili nitong kalihim na siyang may pananagutan sa paggabay sa bansa na maging lubos na resilient).

Typhoon Quinta left in its wake fishermen still missing in Catanduanes as well as damaged homes and infrastructure in Pola, Oriental Mindoro. Prior to that, typhoon Pepito displaced more than 5,000 people in three regions: Cagayan Valley (Region 2), Calabarzon (Region 4A), and Central Luzon (Region 3) (Nag-iwan ang bagyong Quinta ng mga mangingisdang patuloy na nawawala sa Catanduanes, gayundin ng mga nasirang tahanan at imprastraktura sa Pola, Oriental Mindoro. Bago ito, sinalanta naman ng bagyong Pepito ang 5,000 mamamayan sa mga rehiyon ng Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon at Gitnang Luzon).

In Lopez, Quezon alone, typhoon Pepito affected 1,637 households where more than a thousand families had to leave their homes and stay in evacuation centers (Sa Lopez, Quezon, naapektuhan ng bagyong Pepito ang 1,637 tahanan na may mahigit isang libong pamilya ang kailangang lumikas at manatili sa mga evacuation center).

"Napakahirap para sa mga nagdarahop na pamilya na lumikas sa kani-kanilang tahanan bunsod ng bagyo at sa gitna pa ng pandemya," Poe stressed.

Poe has organized a team of staff and volunteers to dispatch relief packs from her office to affected farmers of Lopez, Quezon through Panday Bayanihan to help sustain them as they await help and recovery (Inorganisa ni Poe ang kanyang staff at mga volunteer upang maghatid ng mga relief pack mula sa kanyang tanggapan para sa mga apektadong magsasaka sa Lopez, Quezon sa tulong ng nongovernment organization na Panday Bayanihan).

The farmers lost their crops in the flooding which submerged their barangays in waist-high waters (Nasira ang pananim ng mga magsasaka sa gitna ng pagbaha sa kanilang barangay nang abot-baywang).

Each relief pack handed by Poe's team consisted of five kilos of rice, three cans of corned beef, three cans of meat loaf, noodles and coffee (Kada relief pack na ipinaabot ni Poe ay may lamang limang kilong bigas, tatlong lata ng corned beef, tatlong lata ng meat loaf, noodles at kape).