In light with the issuance of the Executive Order No. 24 of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., creating the Disaster Response and Crisis Management Task Force (DRCMTF) to ensure quicker response during calamities, the following are its salient features:
Functions
1. The Disaster Response and Crisis Management Task Force (DRCMTF) will harness the core competencies of the member-agencies, including their built-in Quick Response Funds (QRFs) averting the creation of a new office, which would be duplicative and inconsistent with the right-sizing policy of the administration.
2. The task force is solely dedicated to disaster preparedness and response, which has a similar functions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the US that consolidated the functions on emergency preparedness, civil defense, mitigation and disaster response activities, among others.
3. The task force will also lead integrated disaster preparedness and response efforts of the national government and promptly deliver accessible and coordinated assistance programs to the affected communities and convene members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for the purpose of recommending the declaration and the lifting of a state of calamity as well as the disbursement from the council’s fund.
4. The DRCMTF will also fill in the gap in the disaster response framework of the Philippines, which lacks a single entity solely focused on, and dedicated to, disaster preparedness and response while at the same time ensuring a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach to crisis management.
5. Establishing a calibrated and graduated national disaster mobilization system, including a pre-disaster risk assessment (PDRA) as a decision-making tool is also part of the functions of the DRCMTF. The PDRA is a process to evaluate a hazard’s level of risk given the degree of exposure and vulnerability in a specific area.
6. The task force will also organize Quick Response Groups (QRGs) that can be deployed during, in advance or in anticipation of the imminent impact of a disaster, in support of regional and local disaster risk reduction and management councils (DRRMCs).
Organizational framework
The DRCMTF will be composed of the following member-agencies:
1. Office of the Executive Secretary
2. Department of National Defense (DND)
3. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
4. Department of Health (DOH)
5. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
6. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
7. Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
8. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
9. Department of Transportation (DOTr)
10. Office of Civil Defense (OCD)
The President will designate the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among the member-agencies. The DRCMTF will be placed under the Office of the President and shall be headed by a Chairperson who will directly report to the President to provide a clear unity of command.
The Chairperson will serve as the overall manager and lead coordinator on the disaster preparedness and response efforts of national government agencies and instrumentalities, especially in the affected areas as well as to ensure the implementation of Presidential orders and directives relating to disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM).
The Chairperson is also authorized to call upon any government agency or instrumentality for support and assistance in the performance of his/her functions under EO No. 24, and shall have a direct line to the President especially during disasters, natural calamities, and other contingencies that may require prompt and timely coordination.
Funding
The funds necessary for the implementation of the EO No. 24 will be sourced from existing appropriations of the member-agencies of the DRCMTF and/or, if applicable, the Contingent Fund, and such other funding sources that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) may identify.
Legal framework
The EO No. 24 was issued to create the DRCMTF. A task force is created rather than an office as it would require an evaluation and approval by the DBM, or a full-blown agency, which necessitate an enactment of a law.
Under Section 2(7) of EO No. 292, a department is created only by law while Section 90 of the Republic Act 11936, or the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2023 states that only offices may be created by the President upon the recommendation of the DBM.
The EO is also a mere transition mechanism while waiting for the passage of a law that will create a permanent agency with similar functions of the FEMA of the US.
With the creation of the DRCMTF, only the first pillar function of the NDRRMC, which is disaster prevention and mitigation, will be left with the council. The EO No. 120 (s. 2020) on the other hand, is repealed to revert the disaster rehabilitation and recovery functions from the Build Back Better Task Force (BBBTF) to the NDRRMC.
Repealing EO No. 120 (s. 2020) will avoid confusion as to the mandate of the NDRRMC and clearly delineate the powers to be assigned to the DRCMTF. ###
