REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila FIFTEENTH CONGRESS Second Regular Session House Resolution No. 2057

Introduced by Kabataan Partylist Representative RAYMOND V. PALATINO

RESOLUTION DEMANDING THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT TO CREATE AND INSTALL A CLEAR AND RATIONAL DISASTER PLAN THAT PUTS PREMIUM ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN THE WAKE OF THE RECENT 'SENDONG' TRAGEDY THAT KILLED MORE THAN 1,000 FILIPINOS AND LEFT SOME P1 BILLION WORTH OF DAMAGES TO INFRASTRUCTURE AND LIVELIHOOD WHEREAS, as stated in Republic Act No. 10121, it is State policy to "uphold the people's constitutional rights to life and property by addressing the root causes of vulnerabilities to disasters, strengthening the country's institutional capacity for disaster risk reduction and management and building the resilience of local communities to disasters including climate change impacts; WHEREAS, the Philippines is considered as one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world as it is constantly subjected to disasters and calamities such as typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides and other natural hazards. There is an average of 22 typhoons that enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility each year, affecting thousands of families and damaging billions worth of assets. Despite these glaring realities, our experience with disasters shows that the country is always ill-prepared each time a typhoon arrives and that the government's disaster management plan remains robust; WHEREAS, the recent tragedy brought by tropical storm Sendong, which made landfall over Mindanao last December 16, 2011 and triggered a catastrophic flash flooding which makes it the deadliest cyclone to hit the Philippines in the last 12 years, highlights the government's lack of a clear and rational disaster plan that environmental and science communities have long been pushing for; WHEREAS, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, a total 1,257 people were killed mostly due to the flash floods caused by Sendong, while 4,658 others were injured and 98 missing as of January 4, 2012. Sendong has affected 1

114,228 families (or 724,729 people) in 789 villages in 13 provinces. Of these, 80,647 families (or 429,045 people) are currently served inside and outside the evacuation centers. Additionally, the estimated damage to property stood at P1,384,592,708, including P1,097,441,000 in infrastructure and P287,151,708 in agriculture. Furthermore, at least 13,369 houses were totally destroyed while 35, 130 were damaged; WHEREAS, while the national government has put the blame on local government officials for the deaths caused by tropical storm Sendong, it cannot feign helplessness and responsibility in such tragedies for it has at its disposal the power to craft policies and plans that will enable the country to better cope with natural disasters and minimize or mitigate the effects of natural calamities; WHEREAS, it appears that the national government's policy when it comes to disasters focuses merely on the band-aid relief and relocation policies as evidenced by President Benigno Aquino Ill's veto of disaster preparedness in the 5-billion peso Calamity Fund in the 2011 General Appropriations Act, stating in his message `I caution the inclusion
of pre-disaster activities such as preparation of relocation sites/facilities, and training of personnel engaged in direct disaster in the use of the Calamity Fund. While the said purpose is laudable, the same must be weighed against the imperious need of maintaining sufficient provision under the Calamity Fund for actual calamities and prevent its full utilization for predisaster activities';

WHEREAS, the veto pertaining to the disaster preparedness in the 2011 Calamity Fund may have weakened pre-disaster efforts that should have reduced risks and raised resilience against typhoons and other disasters; WHEREAS, the primacy of post-disaster measures is clearly emphasized in Republic Act No. 10121, which stipulates that the government's Calamity Fund should be used for "disaster risk reduction or mitigation, prevention and preparedness activities such as but not limited to training of personnel, procurement of equipment, and capital expenditures" and that only "thirty percent (30%) shall be allocated as Quick Response Fund (QRF) or stand-by fund for relief and recovery programs in order that situation and living conditions of people in communities or areas stricken by disasters, calamities, epidemics, or complex emergencies, may be normalized as quickly as possible"; WHEREAS, despite the allocation of a P21.7 billion calamity budget for 2012, the absence of a proper disaster battle plan that should be created and installed by the national government to mitigate disasters renders the billions of pesos for calamity fund questionable. The utilization of such funds should not remain limited to monitoring and reactive response but should first and foremost be geared towards pre-disaster activities and infrastructure such as typhoon drills, pre-positioned relief goods, proactive warning systems, and a nationwide 2

emergency response system, among others, that is based on a clear disaster-risk reduction and climate adaption plan; WHEREAS, in tandem with a proper disaster management and risk reduction battle plan, a serious examination and reversal of destructive environmental laws, policies and programs should be undertaken by the national government in order to save millions of Filipinos from possible death and displacement and lessen the damage to livelihood and infrastructures; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, that the national government create and install a clear and rational disaster plan that puts premium on disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction in the wake of the recent 'Sendong' tragedy that killed more than 1,000 Filipinos and left some P1 billion worth of damages to infrastructure and livelihood.

Adopted,

HON. RAYMPND V. PALATINO Representative, Kabataan Partylist