Senator Cayetano renews push for a dedicated PH agency for disaster rehabilitation

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has reiterated his proposal to establish a government agency dedicated to disaster rehabilitation, saying the country has consistently struggled to sustain long-term recovery efforts as new emergencies emerge.

During a June 23 visit to earthquake-affected communities in the Davao Region, Sarangani Province, and General Santos City, Cayetano said the government's disaster response has become more effective in delivering immediate relief, but rehabilitation remains an area that requires greater attention.

“Ang aming gusto ay lumakas ang ating rehabilitation [efforts]. Magaling na ang gobyerno sa relief pero y’ung rehabilitation [hindi nabibigyan ng sapat na atensyon],” he said.

Cayetano is the principal author of Senate Bill No. 105, which he first filed in 2013. The measure seeks to establish an Emergency Response Department (ERD), envisioned as a science-based and people-centered agency responsible for the full spectrum of disaster management—from risk reduction and emergency response to rehabilitation.

The senator said past disasters have shown how rebuilding efforts are often left unfinished after another major crisis shifts the government's focus.

He pointed to the aftermath of the 2013 Bohol earthquake, where rehabilitation work was disrupted when Super Typhoon Yolanda struck weeks later. Similar patterns, he said, were seen when recovery programs in other parts of the country were overshadowed by the Marawi siege and later by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Cayetano, these experiences demonstrate the need for a single government body that will remain focused on rehabilitation until affected communities have fully recovered.

“We have to have a separate entity na panay rehabilitation [ang tututukan]… Magagaling ang agency natin pero kalat kapag walang tututok,” he said.

Cayetano said the scale of reconstruction remains significant, noting that General Santos City alone has around 34,000 houses and 69 major public infrastructure projects that need rehabilitation or rebuilding.

He added that communities in Sarangani, Davao Oriental, and Sultan Kudarat also require continued recovery efforts following the recent earthquake.

“Kailangan pagdating sa pagmi-mitigate ng mga disasters at saka pagdating sa rehabilitation, may isang natuturo, may isang accountable, at isang nakatutok talaga d’yan,” he said.

-Paraluman News