NDRRMC issues implementing rules for 'Declaration of State of Imminent Disaster Act'

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has officially issued the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for Republic Act No. 12287, or the Declaration of State of Imminent Disaster Act, shifting the country's disaster management framework toward proactive, scientific preparation.

Signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on September 12, 2025, RA 12287 institutionalizes anticipatory action.

Under the act, the government can formally declare a state of imminent disaster before a calamity hits, relying on scientific forecasts and risk assessments, according to a report of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Tuesday (September 29, 2026).

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who serves as the NDRRMC Chairperson, signed the IRR on September 14.

Early Declaration Mechanism

Under the newly established IRR, the President may issue an executive order declaring a State of Imminent Disaster upon the recommendation of the NDRRMC or local chief executives, guided by advice from Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (RDRRMCs).

The regulations apply to hazards categorized as "severe" (or equivalent) based on scientific forecasts and Pre-Disaster Risk Assessments (PDRA). The IRR details clear anticipatory measures to be executed prior to the impact of a hazard or immediately following the presidential declaration.

The key components outlined in the rules include:

Information and Asset Mobilization: Timely, accurate, and inclusive advisories, along with the strategic prepositioning of operational assets and emergency supplies.

Pre-emptive Evacuation Protocols: Standardized procedures for pre-emptive evacuations, camp coordination, management, and protection for internally displaced persons.

Volunteer Deployment: Mobilization guidelines for Accredited Community Disaster Volunteers (ACDVs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and private sector partners to support anticipatory interventions.

Funding and Agency Integration

To ensure sustained implementation, national government agencies are instructed to integrate anticipatory action measures into their regular programming and finance them through standard agency budgets.

Local Government Units (LGUs) are authorized to allocate up to 10 percent of the 70 percent pre-disaster component of their Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) specifically for anticipatory action initiatives, integrated within their local DRRM plans.

Oversight and Accountability

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is tasked with monitoring areas under a declared State of Imminent Disaster.

To ensure accountability, involved government agencies must submit a report to the OCD within 45 days after the lifting of a declaration.

Reports must detail the status of local declarations, utilization of anticipatory action funds, and estimated social and economic impacts. -Paraluman News