Legarda files Magna Carta for disaster risks reduction workers bill

By Leonel Abasola, Philippine News Agency

Legarda said there will be efforts to improve the working conditions of DRRM workers in terms of career advancement and psychosocial care to help them be equipped to satisfy their roles. (File Photo: Loren Legarda/Facebook)

MANILA – Amid the increasing impacts of climate change, Senator Loren Legarda on Thursday said she filed Senate Bill (SB) 2927, or the Magna Carta for Public Disasters Risks Reduction and Management (DRRM) workers.

She said it is important for the bill to be enacted to help recognize the efforts of DRRM workers in a country that has consistently topped the World Risk Index among 193 countries.

“The country as a whole faces natural hazards more than any other nation in the world; we face earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural and human-induced hazards,” Legarda, a UNDRR Global Champion for Resilience, said.

SB 2927 seeks to institutionalize measures that would protect the DRRM workers’ welfare, promote professional growth, and enhance their capacity to deliver critical services.

The bill aims to improve the socio-economic and psychological well-being of DRRM workers by creating better working environments, improving terms of employment, and providing robust benefits.

It also focuses on professionalizing the DRRM workforce by offering capacity-building opportunities.

“With the passage of this bill into law, we want the government to recognize the significance of their contributions by supporting those who consistently risk their lives to save others from certain destruction,” Legarda said.

Legarda said there will be efforts to improve the working conditions of DRRM workers in terms of career advancement and psychosocial care to help them be equipped to satisfy their roles.

In addition, there will be provisions to provide hazard pay for high-risk activities, mandatory insurance coverage, overtime pay, night differential, and retirement pay for eligible DRRM workers, among others.

“To be disaster resilient, we must be able to be capable of covering all fields, including our DRRM workers that have tirelessly risked their lives in the field,” Legarda said.

“As we seek ourselves to be more capable against the power of Mother Nature and increase the chance of safety, we hope that the passage of this bill into law can also help inspire many to stay in this noble endeavor,” Legarda said.

Legarda is a co-sponsor of the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, as well as the principal author of the PAGASA Modernization Act of 2015, which has helped the country be better prepared against annual typhoons.