THE House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to establish evacuation centers in every city and municipality in the country to serve as immediate and temporary accommodation for people who have been displaced by disasters, calamities, or other emergency events such as typhoons, floods, and storm surges.

Lawmakers approved House Bill (HB) No. 7354 with 307 against one voting.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude A. Acidre are among the principal authors of the measure.

Aside from those mentioned above, the evacuation centers may also be used by victims of fire, and the outbreak of illnesses and diseases that present imminent danger to life and property, according to

Section 2 of the bill. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMC) and local executives of provinces, cities, and municipalities are tasked to identify areas to be given the highest priority in the establishment of new evacuation centers.

“It shall be the policy of the State to uphold the constitutional right of the people for the protection of their life and property and the promotion of the general welfare. Towards this end, the State
shall establish and maintain a safe, fully-equipped, and fully-operational evacuation center, responsive to environmental or climatic events, in recognition of the vulnerability of the Philippines to climate change, and hazards such as the occurrence of severe floods, typhoons, and other natural or human-induced disasters, illnesses, diseases and other factors that affect the environment,” HB
7354 noted.

“It shall be the continuing policy of the State to ensure the structural capacity of evacuation centers and to provide the necessary and appropriate support facilities,” it added.

The bill also provides that existing structures that can meet the minimum requirements or can be upgraded to effectively serve as evacuation centers may be designated as such according to the needs of the LGU concerned.

An LGU included in the priority list is also allowed to improve schools or existing structures used as evacuation centers by making these compliant with the minimum requirements such as location and structural capacity. Under the bill, the LGU is also in charge of the operation, supervision, and management of evacuation centers.

HB 7354 provides that the initial amount necessary for the construction and maintenance of multi-purpose gyms will be charged against the budget provided for this purpose under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

On the other hand, the construction and maintenance of additional facilities for schools already used as evacuation centers shall be charged against the appropriations for the Department of Education.

Thereafter, such amounts necessary for the continued implementation will be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

According to market research provider Statista, the Philippines, which sits within the Pacific Ring of Fire, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, as well as flooding due to heavy rains, stressing the need for evacuation centers throughout the country.

In 2021, damages caused by natural disasters amounted to over 60 billion Philippine pesos, mainly due to storms that occurred during the year, it added.