The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) expressed readiness to take on the role of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19, its spokesperson said Thursday, 21 July.,“The NDRRMC is ready to take on the functions of the National Task Force Against Covid-19. The NDRRMC has been supporting from the start in the activities of the national task force in terms of Covid-19 response,” NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said in an interview with Daily Tribune.,Timbal assured the public that assuming the roles of the NTF would not affect the operations of the NDRRMC, which was mandated through the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) to facilitate coordination, and mobilize resources for response and information management including communications.,“It wouldn’t cause any significant cause any changes in our work because the NDRRMC is an all hazard-attending organization,” he said.,He made the remarks after the NTF announced on Wednesday that it would be transferring its duties to the NDRRMC.,“To streamline the government’s pandemic response, the duties of the NTF will now be transferred to the NDRRMC,” the body said in a press statement.,It added that all queries regarding NTF must be directed to the NDRRMC while questions about the vaccination program must be addressed to the Department of Health (DOH).,Created by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2020, the NTF was tasked to spearhead the implementation of the National Action Plan against Covid-19 through the policy guidance of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.,In the past two years, the body helped in the logistics of Covid-19 vaccines to different vaccination sites across the country.,Timbal said the NDRRMC would continue to provide logistical support of Covid-19 vaccines in coordination with the Health department.,“The DoH — being the country’s health instrument — would still be leading the effort by providing technical expertise and guidance in the operations,” he said.,“The Office of Civil Defense — the executive arm of the NDRRMC — will continue to provide support in terms of the logistics and management of the facilities that are being used for Covid-19,” he added.