Go pushes disaster preparedness

SEN. Bong Go on Wednesday urged for the prompt passage of Senate Bill 2451, or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, a disaster preparedness legislation. Go is the principal author and co-sponsor of the bill filed on Sept. 26, 2023. It mandates the construction of evacuation centers in all cities and municipalities across the Philippines. "Every time there is a typhoon, earthquake, volcanic eruption, and other disasters, our countrymen are miserable. In most instances, disasters render the poor homeless and hungry," Go said. "When I traveled all over the Philippines, I noticed that whenever there was a typhoon, flood, earthquake, or volcanic eruption, there were no proper evacuation centers. Sometimes schools or dilapidated basketball courts were used as evacuation centers. There were no comfort rooms and no proper medicines as our countrymen suffered illness. Classes were disrupted whenever schools were used as evacuation centers," he added. Go proposed vital measures to the law, including regular audits of expenditures on infrastructures used as evacuation centers, noting a yearly audit and immediately after a disaster would suffice to ensure the readiness of the facilities. The senator added that it was also crucial to pass Senate Bill 188, which mandates the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience, whose purpose is to streamline the country's disaster preparedness and response.