Vice President Leni Robredo advised the government to slow down the proposed construction of new disaster-focused departments.
This was stated by the vice president amid growing calls for the formation of the Department of Disaster Resilience due to the ravages of previous typhoons in the country.
“Mayroon kasi tayong NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council). (It is) worth studying pero i-assess muna (kung) kailangan ba talaga ano iyong kakulangan ng present set-up na kinakailangan pa nating gumagawa ng another department,”Robredo said in an interview with the ANC.
According to the vice president, the proposals should be carefully considered to weigh whether the new department really needs it or just strengthen the mandate of the existing agency.
This is also said to be the complaint of some local officials he spoke to when he visited the victims of typhoon “Ulysses” and the water of the Magat dam.
“Itong working in silos makes it very difficult to harmonize the policies of these many agencies having, parang having specific roles that sometimes, parang contradict each other.”
“Governor Albano was proposing that a Department of Water be established. Kasi sinasabi niya, Karen, ngayon kasi pagdating sa tubig, iba-ibang mga departments iyong nagte-take charge sa—nandoon iyong LWUA, nandoon iyong DENR, nandoon iyong iba-iba. And sabi niya iyong policies hindi harmonized.”
At the Cabinet meeting of President Rodrigo Duterte in Tuguegarao City this Sunday, Interior Sec. Eduardo Año of the NDRRMC will oversee the operation of dams during typhoons in the Philippines.
