Teodoro welcomes replacement of NDCC with new agency

MANILA, Philippines - Defense Secretary and National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) chairman Gilberto Teodoro Jr. welcomed yesterday a bill seeking the replacement of the NDCC with a supposedly stronger disaster-mitigation organization.

“I am all in full agreement with that,” Teodoro said.

The House appropriations committee endorsed last Tuesday a bill seeking the creation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Council (DRRC) in place of the NDCC.

Committee chairman Rep. Junie Cua said the DRRC would strengthen disaster risk reduction and management. 

The DRRC would still be headed by the defense secretary and composed of the secretaries of the local government, health, public works and highways, social welfare and development, budget, and transportation and communication departments.

Unlike the NDCC, which is an ad hoc agency operating only in times of disaster, the DRRC would be a permanent organization.

Teodoro said even before the bill was filed, he had discussed the creation of a stronger disaster response council to members of the House.

He said the creation of the DRRC would enable local government units (LGUs) to allocate more funds for calamity response.

“I don’t have any disagreement with that as it will allow the LGUs to allot more funds for risk management and disaster operations,” Teodoro said.

LGUs, the first responding units of the NDCC, are only allowed to allocate five percent of their total annual revenue for disaster relief.

The disaster funds of LGUs are only for relief operations and not for disaster preparation.

Teodoro pointed out that even highly urbanized areas in Metro Manila don’t have the proper equipment because they cannot allocate more funds. 

“The NDCC has no budget to procure these disaster equipment. So does the The Office of Civil Defense (OCD), which operates on a P90-million budget for the entire country,” he said.

Teodoro also said the OCD has no capital outlay to purchase equipment like rubber boats or heavy equipment for disaster operations.

 “I hope that once the bill becomes a law, the proposed council will have its own budget,” he said.

Meanwhile, Teodoro said he is ready to recommend to President Arroyo the lifting of the state of calamity in Visayas and Mindanao once the weather in the areas improves.

“Who wants a state of calamity?” he said.

The Makati Business Club has slammed Malacañang’s announcement of a yearlong state of calamity, saying it will dampen investor confidence in the country and cause the economy to slowdown.

Businessmen also said a yearlong state of calamity could lead to job losses and shortage of supply of goods.

GMA visits home province

In a related development, President Arroyo paid her 33rd visit yesterday to her hometown of Lubao, Pampanga this year to survey the damage done by tropical storm Ondoy, prompting critics to speculate that her frequent visits to the province are in connection to her supposed plan of running for a seat in Congress.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, however, said in a news briefing that the president is giving equal attention to areas devastated by Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng.

“I hope we do not put malice into this,” Ermita said.

Arroyo also visited calamity-hit areas in Santa Rosa, Laguna yesterday.

Ermita pointed out that the President has also visited and distributed relief goods in the typhoon-affected areas of Marikina, Pasig, Rizal, and Bulacan.

He said it is natural for any government official to pay attention to his or her home province during calamities.

Ermita said he also helped in relief operations in his home province of Batangas.

“We have so many bridges destroyed there,” he said.   – With Paolo Romero