PH needs to update its 15-year-old disaster risk reduction law —officials
BY JEL SANTOS Senator Loren Legarda (left) and DND Secretary Gilbert Teodoro (right)| JEL SANTOS/ MB PHOTO The Philippines, which is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Pacific Typhoon Belt, needs to update its 15-year-old disaster risk reduction law, two top officials of the country said during a plenary discussion of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) in Pasay City on Wednesday, Oct. 16. “The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, which, upon consultation with DND Secretary Teodoro and his team, we hope to amend and revise to make it more up-to-date since it's a 15-year-old law,” Senator Loren Legarda said in her speech. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said it was also timely to review the disaster risk reduction law which had been enacted 15 years ago. “Because of changing circumstances, because of experiences in the field, we have been able to identify some gaps that need to be filled, some streamlining t