MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has created regional task forces that will help speed up recovery and rehabilitation programs in typhoon-ravaged areas.
In a release, the department said Secretary Roy Cimatu ordered the creation of Regional Build Back Better Task Forces (RTFBBBs). The DENR chairs the national government’s Task Force Build Back Better (TFBBB), which was directed by President Rodrigo Duterte to ensure post-disaster rehabilitation efforts in typhoon-hit areas.
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Cimatu said the provinces that bore the brunt of Typhoon Odette (Rai)—the strongest tropical cyclone that hit the Philippines last year—will be prioritized for the implementation of the DENR order.
‘Odette’ battered southern and central regions of the Philippines in December, leaving at least 407 people dead and hundreds of thousands homeless.
“The DENR regional executive directors for Caraga, Regions 6, 7, 8, 10, and MIMAROPA as chairpersons of the Regional TFBBB in their respective regions shall, in coordination with the concerned regional line agencies and local government units, conduct damage assessment and identify appropriate interventions for recovery and rehabilitation," Cimatu said.
DENR Undersecretary and TFBBB Secretariat head Analiza Rebuelta-Teh said the creation of regional task forces highlights the urgency for a clear mechanism on how to have a “total response” at the regional level.
Cimatu signed a special order which provided the mechanism by which RTFBBBs will “organize and convene” in coordination with the RTFBBB-member line government agencies “as may be applicable.”
The first focus areas of the TFBBB were the Marikina, Cagayan and Bicol river basins following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Rolly (Goni) and Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco) in late 2020.
The Philippines is ranked among the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of human-driven climate change. An average of 20 cyclones enter the country’s area of responsibility annually. — Gaea Katreena Cabico