MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go is pushing for a more proactive approach when dealing with natural disasters and calamities as he urged the government and the public for a change in mindset. He reiterated the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) and proposed a bill mandating the construction of permanent evacuation centers throughout the country. He pointed out that the current structure of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) allows it to act as an ad hoc inter-agency coordinating body when dealing with disasters. Through the proposed measure, the existing Disaster Risk Reduction and Management offices will be renamed as local disaster resilience offices. A Disaster Resilience Fund will also be established to finance DDR’s operations, disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness, response, recovery, rehabilitation and building forward better programs, projects and activities formulated in the national level.

Source: Philippine Star January 19, 2020 15:56 UTC