Proposed House Bill For A Mandatory Evacuation Centers

Congressman Anthony Golez Jr. proposed a bill that seeks to require the construction of strong evacuation centers in all local government units.

Because of the impacts of climate change, Filipinos continually face heightening natural calamities such as, typhoons, floods, fire, storm surges, weather disturbances and outbreak of illnesses and diseases that are that could pose imminent danger to their life and property.

The following shall be the minimum requirement for every evacuation center that will be established under this Act:

1. Location/Designation – each location for every evacuation center shall be determined by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in close coordination with the LGUs concerned. The location shall be determined based on the following criteria:

• It must be centrally located in the community;
• It must be of a safe distance from large trees, structres where hazardous materials are used and/or stored, or high-voltage power lines;
• It must be near a health facility;
• It must be located on geotechnical stable land to avoid risk of landslides and/or exposure to potential landslide of adjacent lands;
• It must not be located near military base camps, camps of insurgent groups, power plants, factories, and other areas where the occurrence of human-induced disasters are very high.

8. Structural/Building Capacity – The evacuation centers shall be constructed and designed to withstand super typhoons or wind speed of at least three hundred (300) kilometers per hour and seismic activity of at least 8.0 magnitude. Evacuation centers should be calamity-resilient, be built with sturdy materials, and be built in accordance with the specifications of Republic Act No. 6541, otherwise known as the “National Building Code of the Philippines” and should be at par with the standard set by the International Building Code.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will be in charge of the construction of evacuation centers and formulating the building specifications therefor based on standards, issuances, and other guidelines set by the DPWH. They will also ensure that the construction of such evacuation centers is in accordance with the abovementioned requirements during its construction phase.

The specification of the evacuation centers shall be periodically reviewed and, if necessary, revised by the DPWH every three years.

The structural capacity should at least mee the following parameters:

1. The structure must be elevated in such a manner that it will withstand likely impact from a high tide storm surge level of at least ten (10) meters;
2. The structure must be a minimum of one (1) meter above the average flood level in the area where the same shall be built; and
3. The structure shall not be less than nine (9) meter in height and designed in accordance with earthqueake load standards.
4. Amenities and Accessibility of the Evacuation Center – The evacuation centers shall be well-ventilated and shall have the capacity to accommodate a large number of evacuees. The centers shall have the following minimum amenities:
5. Sleeping quarters for the evacuees;
6. Separate Shower and toilet facilities designated for the males and females, with a facility-to-user ratio of 1:20 person:
7. Amenities to enable access thereto by and accommodation of the disabled;
8. Provisions for emergency/exit doors;
9. Food preparation areas which are provided with adequate ventilation;
10. Trash and waste segregation and collection areas;
11. Health care areas which shall include an isoaltion and/or quarantine area for potentially infectious persons;
12. Rainwater haversting and collection facilities; and
13. Other facilities prescribed in DSWP-DILG-DOH-DepED Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 Series of 2013, entitled “Guidelines on Evacuation Center Management.”

The LGUs concerned shall be primarily responsible for the operation, supervision, management of evacuation centers, and are also authorized to issue rules and regulations on the proper use and maintenance of the evacuation centers under this Act.

Additionally, the Provincial/City/Municipal Engineer/ building official will mandatorily audit the infrastructures at least once every year and after an occurrence of a disaster. While the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council will primarily lead and oversee the implementation of this act.

The amount necessary to fund the construction and maintenance of evacuation centers under this Act will be sourced from a portion of the general appropriations of the DPWH. Similarly, the amounts necessary for the construction and maintenance of evacuation centers shall be included in the list of programs every year thereafter. But, the appropriations necessary for the operation and management of the evacuation centers shall be charger against the funds of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council (LDRRMC).