The think tank La Liga Policy Institute (LLPI) expressed support on Monday to a bill that seeks to strengthen the country’s disaster response management capability.

LLPI environment campaigner Jonathan Ronquillo said the proposed measure, Senate Bill 3086 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Management Act, should be certified as urgent by Malacanang.

He asked lawmakers to give the highest priority to the bill since there is an urgent need to prepare the country from the worst impacts of climate change.

“The government should waste no time in deliberating on the proposed measure,” he said, citing a study conducted by the LLPI which noted the lack of national framework for confronting natural and man-made disasters such as typhoons, flashfloods, and landslides.

Senate Bill 3086 is a consolidation of nine other bills earlier filed by lawmakers to enhance the country’s disaster response.

Section 2 of SB 3086 declares as a state policy “to uphold the people’s constitutional right to life and property by decreasing disaster vulnerability, increasing their capability for recovery and enhancing over-all resilience to the events.”

The bill mandates the government to adopt an integrated, coordinated, multi-sectoral, inter-agency and community-based approach to disaster risk management that shall be both anticipatory of and responsive to the socio-economic and environmental impacts of disasters including climate change.

It seeks to develop, promote and implement a comprehensive National Disaster Risk Management Plan to address pre-disaster vulnerabilities, disaster response requirements, and post-disaster recovery.

Moreover, the proposed measure will mainstream disaster risk reduction into physical and land-use planning, budget, infrastructure, education, health, environment, housing, and other important sectors.

Once enacted, SB 3086 will institutionalize and fund a national framework for disaster risk management.

Funding of disaster risk management activities at the local level provides that at least 5 percent of the estimated revenue from regular sources of the local government unit (LGU) shall be set aside as local disaster risk management fund (LDRMF), to support disaster risk reduction or mitigation, prevention and preparedness activities for potential occurrence of disasters, as well as for disaster response, rehabilitation, reconstruction and other works or services in connection with disasters or calamities, whether natural or human-induced.