Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS,
First Regular Session

House Bit No, 8822

Introduced by HONORABLE STRIKE B. REVILLA

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.

REP. STRIKE B. REVILLA
2nd District of Cavite



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS.
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 83822

Introduced by HONORABLE STRIKE B. REVILLA

AN ACT
AMENDING TITLE V — BOOK Ill 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:

SECTION 1. a new article after Article XX of Republic Act 7160 is hereby
inserted to read as follows:

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,


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ABILITY TO WORK WITH DIVERSE TEAMS OFTEN IN DIFFICULT
SITUATIONS
(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;

SECTION 2. Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order, letter of
instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent with the

provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at
least two (2) newspapers of general circulation

Approved,