LEGAZPI CITY — If he will have his way, outgoing Albay governor Joey Salceda will separate the Office of Civil Defense from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Now that he is the newly elected representative of the second legislative district of Albay, it is exactly what he will do.
Salceda said one of the bills that he will submit to Congress this July once he formally assumes office as congressman is to detach the OCD from the NDRRMC and make it a new agency to be called the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
He noted that the OCD is held back in the implementation of its programs, especially in responding to the onslaught of various calamities like typhoon because it does not have its own disaster fund, has no mobile equipment to be used in disaster response, lacks personnel and other problems.
The outgoing Albay governor, said that if the OCD becomes a real agency, it will have its own budget, office, personnel, facilities, and equipment.
Salceda said that through the NDMA, the release of disaster fund would be expedited for immediate preparation for the coming calamity, unlike the present setup that the funding comes out only after a calamity.
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