Amid growing climate variability and the increased risk of extreme weather events, Senator Kiko Pangilinan is pushing for the passage of two legislative measures that will strengthen the country’s resilience against natural disasters and safeguard critical infrastructure.
The proposed Dam Safety Act and Disaster and Emergency Act of 2025 will address growing concerns over the country’s vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters.
“We need to step up and save lives even before disasters strike.”
“We cannot afford to be reactive when our lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure are at risk. The past decade alone showed us how disasters have caused immeasurable harm and destruction. We need to step up and save lives even before disasters strike,” Pangilinan said. “Prevention is better than relief packs, evacuation centers, and ayuda.”
This comes as Metro Manila and nearby provinces are currently being battered by the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat) in the aftermath of Typhoon Crising.
The veteran legislator’s proposed Dam Safety Act will establish a National Dam Safety Authority to control, manage, and coordinate operations, including an early warning system, of all dams in the country.
It will also create a holistic, comprehensive, and proactive national dam safety program to lessen the dams’ socio-economic and environmental impacts, which include possible destruction of property and loss of lives.
On the other hand, the seasoned lawmaker’s Disaster and Emergency Act of 2025 will establish the Department of Disaster and Emergency Management to take over the powers and functions of the NDRRMC and the Office of the Civil Defense.
The department “will focus on the integration of disaster risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation”. It will also prepare, coordinate, integrate, supervise, and implement the government’s humanitarian emergency assistance and disaster risk reduction and management programs.
In filing the proposed laws, the senator highlighted the urgent need for robust disaster risk reduction policies. He called on his colleagues in the Senate and the national government to implement a proactive and science-based approach to disaster governance.
“It’s time to build a safer and more resilient future.”
“It’s time to build a safer and more resilient future. We have to shift from a culture of reaction to a culture of preparedness and prevention,” Pangilinan concluded.
