Press Release
October 4, 2009

Zubiri appeals for House okay of Disaster Preparedness and Prevention bill
Warns loopholes in existing system could replicate another "Ondoy" tragedy

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri today urged lawmakers to proactively address drawbacks in government's disaster management and prevention policy to bar a repeat of the to nation's horrendous experience with typhoon "Ondoy."

Zubiri at the same time appealed to colleagues from the House of Representatives to approve with dispatch the proposed Philippine Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Act which seeks to streamline and strengthen the entire disaster management system in the country.

"I call on our counterparts from the House of Representatives to immediately pass the Disaster Risk Management and Preparedness bill...we need to draw a comprehensive disaster preparedness and response mechanism," he stressed.

"We have seen the awesome power of Mother Nature. In a matter of hours, what men have toiled for decades to build succumbed to her raging wrath. We were held helpless. If death is an equalizing factor, so was the flood of this proportion," he added, referring to the epic floods spawned by "Ondoy" when it devastated Metro Manila.

He noted not even the rich, or the famous or the powerful were spared by the floods. "Rich and poor, politicians and showbiz stars, business tycoons, sari-sari store owners and street vendors, residents of gated or exclusive subdivisions and informal settlers in esteros and riverbanks...all became victims of this mega flood," he said.

The majority leader said government must be ready to handle the next disaster that would hit the country, pointing out more catastrophes worse than "Ondoy" would likely strike due to the effects of climate change and global warming.

"I am certain that with climate change, this would not be the last of its kind. More powerful typhoons and devastating floods, landslides and other natural calamities are expected to hit us sooner than we think. By then, we should have a good disaster risk management and preparedness mechanism and climate change mitigation and adaptation policies in place," Zubiri said.

The Senate has approved the proposed Philippine Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Act of 2007 last September 2. It has yet to be approved by the House of Representatives.

The measure seeks to lay down the groundwork for a more responsive and effective disaster monitoring, coordination and response program at all levels of the government. It also proposes the provision of benefits for volunteers who may experience casualties in line of their duty.

It likewise aims to create a more self-reliant and more effective Disaster Management Council to lessen the dependence of local governments to the national government for rescue and relief operations.

It also proposes the participation of non-government organizations to the government disaster preparedness and prevention program to strengthen the delivery mechanism of emergency services and encourage volunteerism and "bayanihan" among the citizenry.

A National Disaster Management Center (NDMC) will be established to advise the president on the status of disaster preparedness, prevention, mitigation, response and rehabilitation organizations being undertaken by concerned government and private organizations.

It will likewise ensure that adequate measures are taken by government agencies to mitigate, prepare for and respond to disasters and assist in the recovery from the effects of a disaster. It will also make certain that all safety rules issued by concerned agencies are properly synchronized.

It will also be the body that would recommend to the president the declaration of a state of calamity in areas extensively damaged and submit proposals to establish normalcy in the affected areas.

Zubiri said every Filipino is responsible for the devastation that "Ondoy" wreaked on the country. "We can only blame ourselves for our apathy to Mother Nature and the environment. Each of us is partly responsible for the gravity of this devastation,' he said.

"We need to gather all our resources and political will to rise from this crisis. Lest we be swept by the raging waters of the next mega-floods, we must all work together to make sure that it does not happen again,' he added.

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