BACOLOD City Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has filed House Bill (HB) 5202, or the Public Infrastructure Financing and Insurance bill, to improve the system for the repair and rehabilitation of the country’s infrastructure assets.
The bill will also ensure the continuity of public service delivery, a necessary measure to address the threats posed by natural calamities.
Benitez said it will address delays in the repair and rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, bridges, and schools, resulting in significant direct and indirect social and economic costs.
He said the repair of public works should be prioritized considering their constant exposure due to worsening climate.
“We are experiencing stronger typhoons and more frequent flooding, aside from the risks posed by earthquakes due to our being located in the Pacific Ring of Fire,” he added.
The lawmaker noted that the series of earthquakes and typhoons has put a spotlight on the need to ensure that the infrastructure is well-maintained, made more resilient, and speedily repaired or rehabilitated.
Benitez said failure to respond to this need could result in losses due to traffic and delays in the transport of food and goods, the inability to attend to the sick and injured and hold classes, and many more wide-ranging consequences.
HB 5202 mandates the development of a Disaster Risk and Financing Insurance Strategy that accesses state, non-state, and global sources and employs both insurance and non-insurance financing mechanisms.
A National Disaster Response for Infrastructure Fund with an initial P20-billion allocation would also be set up for repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or disaster mitigation of public structures such as schools, hospitals, and government offices; roads and bridges; sea- and airports; railways; power generation and transmission structures; and water resource management and supply structures, the bill further stated. (MAP)