NextGen Day

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson of the Partido Reporma repeated his proposal on Wednesday to rightsize executive branch agencies in order to improve the delivery of important public services and state-funded initiatives at a lower cost to taxpayers.

Lacson said in a statement that this is one of his goals to improve government response during disasters, particularly in areas where local government entities lack the capacity to provide quick support and handle everything.

Lacson has expressed misgivings about the proposed legislation to form a Department of Disaster Resilience, claiming that a bureau under the Office of the President (OP) would be sufficient to coordinate the actions of multiple government departments in the event of a natural disaster.

“Mayroong nakatutok kailangan, naka-focus na talagang isang… Huwag na nating gawing departmento kasi si Pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte may rightsizing na direction. Create a department for you, bloated bureaucracy na ‘yung ating bureaucracy (There must be one unit that will focus… Let us not create a new department since President (Rodrigo) Duterte has already issued a rightsizing directive. We can’t keep building more departments, which will lead to an overburdened bureaucracy) “Added he.

While the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) are both present during disasters, Lacson believes that an agency affiliated to the OP may help make things more efficient in the long run.

He noted that a properly authorized organization tasked with coordinating the strategic efforts of all government agencies during the pre-and post-disaster phases might provide longer-term advantages to disaster-affected regions.

Lacson developed this recommendation after learning a lot about crisis and disaster management during his time as the rehabilitation czar following Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

“Ang prinopose ko noon, after ‘nan exit call sa ‘Yolanda,’ mag-create ng isang office under the President’s Office.” Mga members sila sa NDRRMC, council, at ‘pag council nandiyan lahat ‘yung miyembro ng Gabinete. E if makapag-convene ‘yan, napakatagal ‘yan. Although ang OCD, ‘yung initial answer, nandiyan naman sila, may capability naman sila, (What I recommended following my exit call (as rehab czar) post-Yolanda was to create an office under the President’s Office. Because the NDRRMC functions as a council, you must have all Cabinet secretaries (and other officials) present because they are members. It will take time to call it together. Although the OCD is capable of providing an immediate response, it is not required to do so “Lacson explained.

Under this idea, a crisis management expert will be tasked with calling the shots in terms of disaster response mechanisms led by the government, with sufficient direction from and collaboration with relevant institutions.

This would be a modest change from the existing system, which requires the NDRRMC, which is chaired by the Secretary of National Defense and co-chaired by the Secretaries of the Interior and Local Government, to meet with all of the council members before making a decision.

“Pwede namang i-integrate sa pamamagitan ng isang office na bigyan ng sapat na authority, capability, responsibility at pondo, resources na hindi kasing laki ng isang departamento,” he added.

According to Lacson, building new government agencies would necessitate the expenditure of more monies from the country’s finances.

“Kasi ‘pag nag-create tayo ng department, siyempre, papagawa ‘nung opisina na pagkalaki-laki, papagawa ng mga regional offices, mag-a-appoint ng mga regional director— ang daming Usec, ang daming Asec—ubos ‘yung pera natin sa overhead (Because if we create a new department, of course, we would have to build a bigger office, establish its regional offices, appoint regional directors—more undersecretaries, more assistant secretaries—our funds may be depleted on the overhead alone),” Lacson added.

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