MANILA, April 5 (PNA) – Malacanang has assured that the Philippines is making the disaster risk reduction (DRR) a top priority agenda under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III.
This was the response of Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. to the challenge of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon ang United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction head Margareta Wahlström to the disaster-prone countries to make DRR a household word.
”First, the disaster risk reduction is one important priority of the government. It is the pillar program of the Philippine Development Plan,” Coloma said in a DZRB Radyo ng Bayan interview on Sunday.
Coloma said the DRR is being given priority up to the highest level of government under the Climate Change Cabinet Cluster composed of different government agencies which have the responsibilities to confront the challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
”Within the administration of President Aquino, we have laid down national strategy to face the challenges of climate change adaptation and mitigation and this is the source of our program for disaster risk reduction and management of our country,” he said.
He said the Aquino administration was the first to implement the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
”If you will remember, we have put a sunset provision that after five years, we have to review on what we have achieved — its purpose and one of the important purposes is the creation of national organization and infrastructure for DRR,” Coloma explained.
”According to the law, we should have national, regional, provincial, city and municipal disaster risk reduction and management councils. These are aside from the chartered cities,” he added.
Coloma said the purpose of the top-to-bottom councils is to get involved all the people in the implementation of the principle of the DRR throughout the country.
”One of the principles here is that the areas directly affected by the calamities should be the first responder in rescue, rehabilitation and be disaster resilient,” Coloma said.
With this, Coloma said the understanding about the national disaster risk and climate change mitigation and adaptation should involve all the communities even at the grassroots levels. (PNA)