Members of the Brgy. Jesus Dela Peña DRRMO rescue residents in Provident Village in Marikina City amid floods due to rainfall brought by the southwest monsoon, enhanced by Typhoon Carina, on July 24, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News 

MANILA — The House has approved a bill to allow the declaration of imminent disaster and that will penalize dereliction of duty and interference in preparations and in aid distribution.

In a release, the House said it approved House Bill No. 11430 on third and final reading with 117 affirmative votes. There were no votes against it.

The bill authorizes the President, or a local chief executive, declare a state of imminent disaster that would authorize the use of disaster risk reduction and management council for "anticipatory measures".

The anticipatory measures will have to have been included in a local government’s budget and programs while funding for national government agencies will come from the National DRRM Fund.

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PENALTIES FOR INTERFERING WITH AID

The bill also penalizes “dereliction of duties, which leads to destruction, loss of lives, critical damage to facilities, and misuse of funds” as well as blocking the entry and distribution of aid to areas under a declaration of a state of imminent disaster.

It also penalizes the purchase and sale of relief goods and disaster response equipment meant for distribution and use in the area covered by the declaration.

Diverting, misdelivery and forcibly seizing relief goods, equipment and aid are also penalized under the bill.

The bill also penalizes “misrepresenting the source” of aid by relabeling or repackaging them as well as replacing goods with inferior items.

“Illegal solicitations” and the use of false or inflated data to get more aid is also penalized under the bill.

The bill imposes a prison term of six years and one day to 12 years, or a fine of between P50,000 to P500,000 for these offenses.