Bayan Muna refiles Evacuation Center bill amid Mindanao quakes

In light of the series of earthquakes that rocked several parts of Mindanao this month, a bill was refiled at the House of Representatives mandating the establishment of an evacuation center in every two to three contiguous barangays in the country.

In House Bill 5259 filed on Tuesday, Bayan Muna party-list Representatives Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite and Eufemia Cullamat proposed to establish an evacuation center big enough to accommodate the population of at most three barangays.

The evacuation center should likewise be strong enough to withstand natural disasters and built away from waters and landslide-prone areas.

On Thursday morning, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit parts of Mindanao, just two days after a similar tremor left eight people dead.

Zarate himself experienced the quake. In his video shared with reporters, it could be seen that customers are frantically evacuating a fastfood restaurant in Davao City following the tremor.

WATCH: Customers at a fastfood chain in Davao City evacuate following another strong quake that hit the area this morning. ???? Bayan Muna PL Rep. Carlos Zarate pic.twitter.com/OXQYYrwHxU

— Erwin Colcol (@erwincolcol) October 31, 2019

The successive quakes and their effects only call for the need for the establishment of sturdy and easily-accessible evacuation centers in the country, Zarate said.

"These evacuation centers should be earthquake and disaster resistant so that the victims would be safer and would not be confined in tent cities which are exposed to the elements," he said.

"This is a departure from the common practice of using schools and multi-purpose halls as evacuation centers but are still in danger prone areas. The evacuation centers proposed by House Bill 5259 should also be located in between barangays so that more people can reach them at the soonest time and may also serve as the command center for disaster response."

Apart from being able to withstand strong calamities, the evacuation centers proposed under House Bill 5259 should have the following facilities and equipment:

• Cubicles which could house at least five families;
• Restrooms;
• Centralized kitchen and laundry areas;
• A generator;
• Sufficient water supply;
• DRRM training facilities;
• Rainwater catchment system;
• A clinic which will house sufficient and necessary medical equipment, as well as a counseling area;
• Offices for Social welfare and Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (LDDRMC) personnel;
• Appropriate natural ventilations;
• Stockroom for relief goods; and
• Such other physical provisions guaranteeing humane conditions for evacuees

The bill tasks the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as the lead agency in making sure that the requirements for the evacuation centers are met according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Plan.

If enacted into law, the measure allocates a total of P10 billion to the NDRRMC for its initial implementation.

A similar measure has been filed by former Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares in the 16th Congress, and filed again by Zarate in the 17th Congress. —Erwin Colcol/KBK, GMA News