Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 2133

Introduced by Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Natural disasters such as typhoons, storm surges, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions are
bound to happen in significant frequency as would necessitate a more definitive, purposive,
and planned course of action on the part of the government, at national, regional and local
levels. It is already an incontrovertible geo-political issue given that the Philippines is the
most hit country in the world in terms of tropical cyclones, heavy rains and storms, tsunamis,
and the like.

Typhoon Yolanda, a category five typhoon that struck central Philippines in November 2013,
inflicted severe damage on the social and economic fabric of the Visayas and the
MIMAROPA region. The typhoon displaced 4.1 million people and destroyed over half a
million houses. Around 8,000 people died or went missing. The loss of capital and assets,
and disruption in electricity and irrigation services, have led to the collapse of local
‘economies in the severely affected areas.

These unfortunate events and their outcomes now call for the creation of Department of
Disaster Management given the country's vulnerability to a string of disasters as it stands in
the path of yearly bevy of typhoons and tropical cyclones. The Philippines has historically
suffered from a high rate of natural disasters, but climate change is giving rise to even more
frequent and more forceful weather-related disasters. Severe storms have now become the
“new normal.”

It is important to note that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan
(NDRRMP) fulfils the requirement of RA No. 10121 of 2010, which provides the legal basis
for policies, plans and programs to deal with disasters. The NDRRMP covers four thematic
areas, namely, (1) Disaster and Mitigation; (2) Disaster Preparedness; (3) Disaster
Response; and (4) Disaster Rehabilitation and Recover, which correspond to the structure of
the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). By law, the
Office of Civil Defense formulates and implements the NDRRMP and ensures that the
Physical framework, social, economic and environmental plans of communities, cities,
municipalities and provinces are consistent with such plan.

The NDRRMP is consistent with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Framework (NDRRMF), which serves as “the principal guide to disaster risk reduction and
management (DRRM) efforts of the country..." The Framework envisions a country of
“safer, adaptive and disaster-resilient Filipino communities toward sustainable development.”
It conveys a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive DRRM wherein men and women have
increased their awareness and understanding of DRRM, with the end in view of increasing
people's resilience and decreasing their vulnerability


In the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan 2011-2018, the NDRRMP
sets down the expected outcomes, outputs, key activities, indicators, lead agencies,
implementing partners and timelines under each of the four distinct yet mutually reinforcing
thematic areas. In other words, there is hereby established from this institutional
arrangement the now proposed Department of Disaster Management, hence this
submission.

It is all in this light that this humble measure is most earnestly sought for deliberative
passage.



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No.2!33

Introduced by Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo

AN ACT
CREATING THE DEPARTMENT OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT AS DISTINCT
AND SEPARATE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the ‘Department of Disaster Management

SEC. 2. The present office of Civil Defense and/or National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council are hereby created to be known as the Department of Disaster
Management, with distinct and ‘separate mandate from the Department of National Defense
to carry out safer, adaptive and disaster-resilient Filipino communities towards sustainable
development along the four thematic areas, namely: disaster preparedness, disaster
response, disaster prevention and mitigation, and disaster rehabilitation and recovery,

SEC. 3. As Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR), the herein created Department of
Disaster Management shall issue appropriate rules, regulations, guidelines, and issuances
to effectively carry out the implementation of this Act.

SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days after its approval and publication in
the Official Gazette and in at least three (3) newspapers of general circulation

Approved,