(Photo courtesy of Philippine Coast Guard-Negros Occidental) MANILA - A leader of the House of Representatives on Tuesday urged the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte the declaration of a state of calamity for several regions in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette which ravaged parts of Visayas and Mindanao. House Ways and Means Chair Joey Salceda said the declaration will then activate measures such as price controls, reprogramming of funds for the repair of infrastructure, and the granting of no-interest loans by the government financial institutions. Salceda added that the declaration would activate an automatic price freeze of basic necessities for areas in a state of calamity under Republic Act 7581, or the Price Act. He cited RA 10121, which provides that the NDRRMC should recommend a declaration of state of calamity by the President. He also noted that there are funds that the government can immediately mobilize