Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Thursday called for an amendment to the National Building Code to ensure safety amid recurring natural disasters following his inspection on Ecoland 4000, a condominium in Davao City damaged by the 6.5-magnitude earthquake that hit Mindanao on Thursday morning.

In his visit to the site in coordination with the local government of Davao City led by Mayor Sara Duterte, the senator reiterated his proposal for the establishment of a separate executive department focused on disaster resilience to serve as the lead agency for disaster response and preparedness of the government.

Go earlier filed Senate Bill 205, known as “Disaster Resilience Act of 2019”, which seeks to establish “an empowered, highly-specialized, and responsive Department of Disaster Resilience with clear unity of command.”

The department aims to provide faster government response to natural disasters and calamities, such as typhoons and earthquakes, by putting together all related agencies under a single department. The proposed measure also mandates local government units to build permanent and dedicated evacuation centers that are comfortable and complete with all necessary supplies needed by evacuees.