BINAY WANTS STRONGER LGUs AFTER 'ONDOY'
MANILA, NOVEMBER 10, 2009 (STAR) By Jose Rodel Clapano - Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay said yesterday the next administration must be willing to strengthen the local government units’ (LGUs) capability to respond to natural disasters.He said tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng” showed that the national government is slow to respond to calamities, and the LGUs and the citizens that were displaced suffered the most.
Binay said at present, most local governments remain dependent on the national government, especially when responding to disasters and natural emergencies.
“Local governments are in the best position to respond immediately to disasters, yet the effectiveness and efficiency of their response, to a large part, is dictated by how fast or how slow the national government reacts to these disasters,” he said.
Binay said while several functions and responsibilities have been devolved to LGUs since the passage of the Local Government Code (LGC) in 1991, local governments remained hobbled by the lack of access to funds and over-dependence on funds from the national government.
“This is a set up which Malacañang exploits to the hilt for political purposes. The breakdown in national government response during Ondoy was a loaded gun simply looking for a trigger,” he said.
Binay said the local executives are in the frontline during disasters, and “if only to reflect the vital role of local governments and to streamline the structure, it would have been logical for the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to be chaired by the Local Government and Interior Secretary.”
Binay said improving the capabilities of local governments to respond to disasters caused by climate change would help minimize the social and economic cost of calamities on both the local and national economy.
He cited the case of Makati, which was named last year by the World Bank as one of East Asia’s climate-resilient cities.
“While Makati was not spared by Ondoy, the city was able to keep damages to lives and properties at a minimum. In fact, Makati was up and running the following day, and people and businesses resumed their regular activities. We attributed this to the pro-active steps we have taken through the years, both in policies and programs to mitigate climate change and our investments in disaster preparedness,” Binay said.
He said the impact of Ondoy and Pepeng showed that “all natural disasters impact on local economies first, and on the national economy when it affects a large area.”
Binay said when local economies are disrupted, the capacity of local governments to provide services for their people during normal times is also disrupted.
“This is most especially true in the case of small local governments with limited resources. And this has been an urgent concern, considering the large number of people who live in poverty,” he said.
Binay said the need to “address climate change takes on social dimensions, as they also impact on a locality’s human and social investments, which in turn, would impact on the locality’s future stability.”
Binay cited that even President Arroyo correctly stated that local governments should play a major role in disaster response.
He said unless the overly centralized nature of government, as reflected in the structure of the NDCC, is corrected, local governments would not be able to maximize their capabilities.
Binay said the next administration’s commitment to the people’s welfare will be tested by its willingness to surrender control over local governments.
“Will they be willing to surrender control over local governments, or will they continue the politically beneficial policy of keeping localities dependent on the national government? Such a policy has kept the current administration politically afloat, but has proven to be detrimental to the interests and welfare of citizens who rely on their local governments as their first line of response in emergencies,” Binay said.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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