After Department of Agriculture, Marcos now wants risk council under him

PRESIDENT FERDINAND Marcos Jr. wants to put the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) under the Office of the President to streamline disaster response efforts.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presided over a “full council meeting” of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) amid the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng.(PCOO)

“We will put the national disaster response team under the Office of the President. And I think that we are headed in that direction because of the weather that we are suffering now from the effects of climate change,” Marcos said, stressing the need to bolster disaster response initiatives and rehabilitation projects in response to the destruction wrought by recent typhoons.

“I think that overall, we can say that the disaster response has been a good one. However, I believe that there are ways that we can make it even more streamlined,” the President pointed out.

As typhoons become much stronger and calamities more destructive, pursuing much-needed reforms to make the country more proactive and responsive to disasters become more imperative, according to Marcos.

Earlier this year, Marcos also appointed himself as the secretary of the Department of Agriculture to address the most pressing concerns of the agriculture sector.

He said his decision to head the Agriculture department was “not only to make it clear what a high priority we put on the agriculture sector, but also as a practical matter so things will move quickly.” (Mindanao Examiner)