Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian presides over the First Quarter Full Council Meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) on Wednesday (April 2) at the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Quezon City.

Gathering representatives from NDRRMC member-agencies and key partners from the private sector, the Full Council approved the related guidelines and guidebooks focused on enhancing Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) activities nationwide, implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the Republic Act (RA) 12076 or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, and the proposed inclusion of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as advisor of the NDRRMC.

Updates on the salient features in the development of minimum design standards for evacuation centers and the National Disaster Response Plan 2024 were also tackled as part of the agenda.

Secretary Gatchalian was joined by Undersecretary Diana Rose Cajipe of the DSWD’s Disaster Response and Management Group (DRMG). (LSJ)