DEPARTMENT OF PREPAREDNESS, ITATAG NA—KOKO PIMENTEL

MULING nanawagan si Senador Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III na dinggin ang kahilingan niyang likhain ang hiwalay na Department of Preparedness and Resiliency na tutugon sa disaster management concerns sanhi ng pagyanig ng magni-tude 6.1 earthquake na tumama sa ilang bahagi ng Luzon nitong Lunes na kaagad nasundan ng magnitude 6.5 lindol sa Eastern Visayas kahapon.

Binigyang diin ng mambabatas ang kahalagahan ng paghahanda sa pinakamataas na executive level, full-time at dedikadong bu-rukrasya para sa disaster management.

“A department-level agency needs to examine and draw up plans on all aspects of disaster management, from rescue and relief, inspection of the structural integrity of buildings before and after calamities such as earthquakes and typhoons, as well as year-round training and education of specialists, rescuers and the general population. We always have to be prepared. The Philippines lies in the so-called ‘ring of fire’ of active volcanic and seismic activity, and we’re in the middle of a typhoon-prone region,” ayon sa reeleksiyonistang senador mula sa Mindanao.

Unang nanawagan si Pimentel para sa paglikha ng bagong kagawaran matapos ang 7.5 magnitude na lindol na tumama sa Indo-nesia noong Setyembre 2018 na nagresulta sa pagkamatay ng 800 katao.

Pinuri ng senador ang ipinamalas na disiplina ng mamamayan at mga responder nito sa panahon at pagkatapos ng lindol, partikular na ang maayos na pagbakwet sa matataong lugar at mabilis na pag-ayuda sa mga nasaktan sanhi ng paglindol.

Samantala, habang kinokonsidera pa ang hiwalay na Department of Preparedness and Resiliency, nanawagan si Pimentel sa Na-tional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) na makipag-ugnayang nang mabuti sa Department of Nation-al Defense’s Office of Civil Defense, DILG at DepEd upang magsagawa pa nang mas maraming drill sa buong kapuluan bukod pa ang mga quarterly exercise para lubos na makapaghanda ang publiko.

“Technology and social media played crucial roles in information dissemination during the earthquake. Posts and videos were uploaded in real time in Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Text messages were quickly sent by the NDRRMC advising people of the situation and reminding them to be alert. These factors should all be considered in a more refined, more responsive emergency plan,” ayon sa senador na nag-topnotcher sa Bar examination noong 1990.

“As I have stressed numerous times before, we cannot prevent natural calamities from happening, but we can prepare well, especially considering the paramount need to prevent loss of life in any emergency situation” dagdag ni Pimentel.