(CNN Philippines) — With the country bracing for the rainy season anew, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago called on her fellow senators to fast-track the passage of bills aimed at boosting the government’s typhoon preparations and disaster risk reduction efforts.
According to Santiago, at least five typhoon-related laws proposed by her are still pending at the committee level, this despite the Senate’s approval of a bill on youth-involvement in disaster preparations, which she co-authored.
“The Philippines is on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, the most tropical cyclone-prone waters on Earth, making the country very susceptible to typhoons. We cannot afford further tragic loss of lives or damage to property caused by floods,” said Santiago.
The five bills still awaiting the Senate’s go-signal are:
Senate Bill No. 2561 (S.B. No. 2561), or the National Flood Insurance bill, which aims to augment state-funded disaster assistance and better meet the escalating costs of repairing damage to residential and other buildings and their contents.
S.B. No. 394, or the Flood Recovery Fund bill, which seeks to help flood victims, especially those who are poor, of speedy financial assistance in the form of no-interest loans.
S.B. No. 1576, or the National Flood and Research Education bill, which aims to create an Office of Flood Research and Policy that will develop best practices for predicting, preventing, and minimizing flooding and its effects.
S.B. No. 1724, or the Culvert Safety bill, which seeks to ensure that culverts (imburnals or open sewers) are appropriately covered and posted with warning signs to prevent people, especially children, from falling into them during floods.
S.B. No. 2376, which aims to mandate for the inclusion of swimming lessons in the curriculum of all elementary and secondary schools.
