Construction of permanent evacuation center in every municipality, city pushed

At least two senators on Wednesday pushed for the establishment of a permanent evacuation center in every municipality, city, and province in the country.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said permanent evacuation centers with the necessary facilities will address the issues encountered by evacuees in times of calamity, including congestion, exposure to hazards, and lack of facilities

In July 2019, he filed Senate Bill No. 747 or “An Act Establishing Evacuation Centers in Every Municipality and City, Providing For The Necessary Facilities, Ensuring Their Structural Capacity, and Appropriating Funds.

The bill sets the minimum requirements for every evacuation center that will be established, including its location, structural capacity, suitability and capacity of premises, physical amenities, and food safety.

Gatchalian said lack of permanent evacuation centers might take a toll on the students and teachers in the long run since many schools are being utilized as temporary shelters for displaced families.

The Department of Education (DepEd) reported there are 14 schools in three divisions under Region IV-A being used as evacuation centers amid the eruption of Taal Volcano, he said.

“Nakagawian na natin na sa tuwing may sakuna sa ating bayan, ang kadalasan na ginagawa nating evacuation centers ay ang mga eskwelahan. Dahil dito, madalas naapektuhan ang pag-aaral ng mga bata kasi hindi natin alam kung kelan mananatili ang evacuees sa mga paaralan,” he added.

Senator Christopher ‘Bong’ Go, who accompanied President Rodrigo Duterte in his visit to Taal evacuees in Batangas, said it is only necessary to build permanent evacuation centers nationwide to ensure the safety of Filipinos in times of natural calamities and other disasters given the  geographic location of the country.

He earlier filed Senate Bill (SB) No. 1228 or “An Act Establishing a Mandatory Evacuation Center in all Cities, Provinces and Municipalities, Appropriating Funds Therefor.”

Under the measure, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), or its successor, will act as the primary lead agency to oversee the implementation of the act should it be passed into a law.

As for its appropriation, the construction and maintenance of evacuation centers under the measure will be sourced from a portion of the general appropriations for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The bill also states that “Every year thereafter, the amounts necessary for the construction and maintenance of evacuation centers shall be included in the list of programs as part of annual budget in the General Appropriations Act.”

“It is high time that the State establish evacuation centers in all cities, provinces, and municipalities which will cater to the basic needs of the victims of these disasters and provide them temporary shelters that will guarantee their safety, promote their social well-being, and guard their welfare while they recover and rebuild their homes and their lives,” Go said. —KBK, GMA News