SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENAr.e: 
S.B. No. 2620 
Introduced by Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. 
AN ACT 
';~l';" '; tJ~' 
",,1,,1 
• ,<"'" . 
i~)tjl\:r !If Hp' ~~I'l"rl'tnt'~ 
']'5 
FEB -2 P5 :41 
AMENDING TITLE V - BOOK III OR REPUBLIC ACT 7160, OTHERWISE KNOWN 
AS THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF 1999, PROPOSING A PERMANENT 
ITEM FOR A DISASTER OFFICER IN EVERY LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines is prone to dangerous typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions 
and other natural disasters, This is because its location is along the Pacific Ring of Fire, 
Last November 2013, the country was hit by a destructive natural disaster -
Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), Based on the latest report of the National Disaster Risk 
Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) dated April 17, 2014, the destruction 
caused by Yolanda was reportedly 6,300 deaths, 1,061 people remain misSing while 
28,689 others were injured. Also, last October 2013 we experienced the ferocity of the 
7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol that caused an unimaginable damage of 222 
deaths, These experiences have been too difficult for the Filipino people. Such incidents 
show that we are in dire need of a systematiC disaster risk reduction and response 
mechanism which in our case is a decentralized one. Being a decentralized system, a 
local disaster officer is required to lead, organize, and manage permanent support in 
every Local Government Unit, especially it times of emergenCies. 
Republic Act 10121, otherwise known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction 
and Management Act of 2010 states in section 3 that the National Disaster Risk 
Reduction and Management Framework (NDRRMF shall provide community-based 
disaster risk reduction and management, a process of disaster risk reduction and 
management in which at risk communities are actively engaged in the identification, 
analysis, treatment, monitoring and evaluation of disaster risks in order to reduce their 
vulnerabilities, and enhance their capacities, It also puts the people at the heart of 
decision-making and implementation of disaster risk reduction and management 
activities; and provide for comprehensive, all hazards, multi-sectoral, inter-agency and 
community-based approach to disaster risk reduction and management. In this light, it is 
significant that each local government shall assign a disaster risk officer with a 
permanent status and be required to establish an office that is exclusively for disaster 
risk operations. With this, it will be easier to satisfy the purpose in providing assistance 
in their respective communities in times of devastation, and for those affected people to 
easily move forward and go back to their normal life. 
This bill seeks to assign a permanent Disaster Risk Officer in each Local 
Government Unit. With this, every local government unit's organizational structure will 


be more dynamic, efficient and each will have an operating mechanism that will meet 
the needs and service requirements of every community. 
In this regard, passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
ON~LLA.JR. 


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
SENAIfu 
S.B. No. 
20 
) 
) 
) 
Introduced by Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. 
AN ACT 
, ,;'j 
,\~~rn:j h' 
It]llIrr 1/ Ill'? ~:q'nf'br~ 
'1'S 
FEB -2 P5 :41 
AMENDING TITLE V - BOOK 1/1 OR REPUBLIC ACT 7160, OTHERWISE KNOWN 
AS THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF 1999, PROPOSING A PERMANENT 
ITEM FOR A DISASTER OFFICER IN EVERY LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Congress assembled: 
1 
SECTION 1. a new article after Article XX of Republic Act 7160 is hereby 
2 
inserted to read as follows: 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
ARTICLE XXI - DISASTER RISK OFFICER. 
SECTION 491: QUALIFICATIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS: 
AN APPOINTED PERSON MUST BE A FILIPINO CITIZEN, A 
RESIDENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT CONCERNED AND HAS 
GOOD MORAL CHARCATER. 
(1) EDUCATION: MUST BE A GRADUATE OF BACHELOR DEGREE 
ON SOCIAL SCIENCE, HUMANITIES, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, 
AGRICULTURE OR OTHER RELATED FIELDS, AND ELIGIBLE ON 
CIVILI SERVICE. 
(2) SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 
(A) KNOWLEDGE IN DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT (DISASTER 
RESPONSE AND IMPROVEMENT, REHABILITATION AND RISK 
REDUCTION AGENDA), 
(B) ABILITY TO DEVELOP PROJECT PROPOSAL, WORK PLAN, 
MONITOR AND EVALUATE THE PROJECT ACTIVITIES, 
(C) GOOD ANALYTICAL SKILLS AND THE ABILITY TO ASSESS 
INFORMATION ON HUMANITARIAN ISSUES, 
(D)GOOD ORGANIZATIONL AND FACILITATION SKILLS, 
ABILITY TO WORK WITH DIVERSE TEAMS OFTEN IN DIFFICULT 
SITUATIONS 
1 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
(E) 
KNOWLEDGEABLE 
ON 
PARTICIPATORY 
PLANNING, 
MONITORING, 
IMPLEMENTATION, 
EVALUATION 
AND 
BUDGETING, 
(G) GOOD COMMUNICATION, FACILITATION AND NEGOTIATION 
SKILLS. 
3. EXPERIENCE (AT LEAST THREE YEARS) 
(A) WORKING IN EMERGENCY REHABILITATION, EMERGENCY 
RESPONSE AND RECOVERY 
(B) 
WORKING 
WITH 
COMMUNITY 
GROUPS, 
COMMUNE 
COUNCILS, DISTRICT AND PROVINCIAL COMMITTEES OR 
DISASTER MANAGEMENT 
(C) EXPERIENCE OF DEVELOPING AND DELIVERING PROJECT 
OUTLINES AND REPORTS FROM BEGINNING TO COMPLETION 
OF PROJECT. 
4. RESPONSIBILITIES (PURSUANT TO RA 10121) 
(A) ADOPT A DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT 
APPROACH 
THAT 
IS 
HOLISTIC, 
COMPREHENSIVE, 
INTEGRATED, 
AND 
PROACTIVE 
IN 
LESSENING 
THE 
SOCIOECONOMIC 
AND 
ENVIRONMENTAL 
IMPACTS 
OF 
DISASTERS INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE, AND PROMOTE THE 
INVOLVEMENT AND PARTICIPATION OF ALL SECTORS AND ALL 
STAKEHOLDERS CONCERNED, AT ALL LEVELS, ESPECIALLY 
THE LOCAL COMMUNITY; 
(B) 
INSTITUTIONALIZE 
THE 
POLICIES, 
STRUCTURES, 
COORDINATION 
MECHANISMS 
AND 
PROGRAMS 
WITH 
CONTINUING BUDGET APPROPRIATION ON DISASTER RISK 
REDUCTION FROM NATIONAL DOWN TO LOCAL LEVELS 
TOWARDS BUILDING A DISASTER-RESILIENT NATION AND 
COMMUNITIES; 
(C) RECOGNIZE THE LOCAL RISK PATTERNS ACROSS THE 
COUNTRY AND STRENGTHEN THE CAPACITY OF LGUS FOR 
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT THROUGH 
DECENTRALIZED 
POWERS, 
RESPONSIBILITIES, 
AND 
RESOURCES AT THE REGIONAL AND LOCAL LEVELS; 
(D) RECOGNIZE AND STRENGTHEN THE CAPACITIES OF LGUS 
AND COMMUNITIES IN MITIGATING AND PREPARING FOR, 
RESPONDING TO, AND RECOVERING FROM THE IMPACT OF 
DISASTERS; 
2 


I 
2 
SECTION 2. Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order, letter of 
3 
instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent with the 
4 
provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
5 
6 
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
7 
Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
8 
9 
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at 
10 
least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
3