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Lacson: Transfer OCD to OP for quicker response during disasters
Senatorial candidate and former senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson has proposed transferring the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) directly under the supervision of the Office of the President to enable quicker government response during disasters.
"We should transfer the OCD from the Department of National Defense to the Office of the President. This will eliminate the usual bureaucratic red tape," Lacson was quoted as saying in a statement.
With this, the senatorial candidate said the President will have a "direct alter-ego in this setup."
Citing his experience as the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery after the super typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines in 2013, Lacson said he struggled with limited authority given to him.
He said that this was similar to the current plight of the OCD in terms of lacking sufficient authority and access to executive channels.
The OCD is currently under the Department of National Defense.
"The Building Code is important in disaster resilience. Without it, we do not have a 'bible' to follow in terms of safety standards," the former senator said.
Lacson mentioned that in 2019, he filed Senate Bill 1239 or the proposed measure updating the 1977 National Building Code, which was not approved by the chamber due to lack of support from his colleagues.
Apart from safety, the former senator said amending the building code would also preserve cultural heritage areas in the country like the Chinatown district and Vigan, Ilocos Sur, among others.
Further, Lacson pushed for a national hazard mapping program that would identify disaster-prone areas.
This should be science-based so highly hazardous areas could be avoided for building structures or at least strengthen structure resilience to meet the standards under an updated building code," he said.
Lacson is running under the administration's senatorial ticket called Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
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