Two councilors block insurance for disaster teams

CEBU, Philippines -Two lawyer-members of the Cebu City Council are against the move to compel business establishments to enroll members of their disaster response teams in an insurance company and to penalize those who refuse to do so.Councilor Jose Daluz III and Edgardo Labella said the intention of the ordinance sponsored by fellow city legislator Noel Eleuterio Wenceslao is good but would be very difficult to implement.

Daluz asked Wenceslao if is there any law that compels establishments to insure their employees. According to Daluz, the intention of the ordinance is good but he can’t support it.

 Labella also described it as “anti-business” and may discourage investors from putting up their businesses in the city.According to Labella, the city may just encourage the business establishments to create their respective quick response teams and it is the city’s duty to train them on how to respond in time of calamities.

Because of the stand of Labella and Daluz, Young called for a five-minute recess to discuss the issue among themselves. When the session resumed, Wenceslao moved to defer the approval of his proposal.

The proposed ordinance, if approved, would make it mandatory for establishments with more than 50 personnel to create its own quick response team to be trained either by the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF), Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Red Cross and Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council. — (FREEMAN)