We can never stop what our planet can do but we can always mitigate and minimize their effects by being ready.

I have always told myself that I will always help those who are in need. Why not? I have been blessed beyond measure, and I believe that it is my duty to extend my arms to Filipinos whose spirits have been dampened by their current plight.

Even before I became senator, I have been visiting evacuation sites and extending assistance to those who have lost their homes to calamities such as fires, earthquakes, floods or typhoons.

Recently, such as the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that rocked the central and southern parts of Mindanao and the fire incidents that occurred in various areas, I have seen our Filipino brothers and sisters trying their best to overcome physical, emotional and mental loss. I have seen victims and survivors trying to help each other stand back on their own feet by offering whatever they have and they can for one another.

This is the kind of Filipino bayanihan I have seen in many calamity or accident-affected communities. I have seen the resilience of my fellowmen but I have also felt their hardships. And although we have always made good out of everything that happens to us, I still refuse to believe that these people will just settle for whatever the government is presently giving them. It’s not that the government does not offer sufficient aid to these victims. Rather, it is that the government can always do more, be more efficient or more effective. The government can take better steps to ensure the safety, survival and recovery of our countrymen in times of these disasters.

My experiences throughout these decades, especially these past few years, have widened my perspective in addressing the needs of our countrymen. This gave me the purpose and drive in fulfilling my duties as a senator and as a public servant — to give back to the people through better services and programs that will directly benefit those who are poor and in need.

With this, I have filed a bill that seeks to establish a Department of Disaster Resilience. Senate Bill 205, or the Disaster Resilience Act of 2019, aims to create an empowered, highly specialized and responsive department addressing directly the issues of safety, ensure the process of recovery and create disaster-resilient communities.

This bill is part of the first 10 priority bills I filed in the Senate last June. The proposed department will focus on three key areas, namely disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and recovery and building forward better. This bill will clearly establish a directive for responsible and systematic disaster preparedness and response to each and every Filipino.

For me, it is just right that we create a separate department for disaster resiliency that will focus on these key areas to help us avoid mismanagement during disasters and ensure that the lives of our countrymen will not be made more miserable than their predicament.

We are at the forefront of every typhoon that affects Southeast Asia from the Pacific Ocean. We experience the first landfall and often bear the brunt of the typhoon’s destructive power. On the other hand, we are placed on this planet where tectonic plates and volcanic activities happen more often, thus, creating earthquakes. We can never stop what our planet can do but we can always mitigate and minimize their effects by being ready.

But if I have to be frank and honest, throughout the years of experiencing and surviving these calamities, we Filipinos have never learned nor has the government improved its services. Proper evacuation sites in most areas are not readily available, proper emergency kits are not distributed, emergency response still takes quite some time, equipment is outdated and emergency personnel are not enough.

Once the bill is discussed in the Senate and will pass through all channels, the country can begin creating a government department dedicated to providing safe, fast and reliable service that would ensure our capacity to withstand natural disasters and man-made incidents.

On a lighter note, I am excited to tackle this policy in the Senate. I am optimistic that this will bear fruit to the advantage of Filipinos as climate change is inevitable and accidents are unavoidable.

Recent tragedies and future ones might shake our core, but never our hope and our faith that we can always work together towards a resilient and prepared community.