Gatchalian refiles bill on establishing evacuation centers in all cities and municipalities

Senator Win Gatchalian has refiled a bill that seeks to establish an evacuation center in every city and municipality in the Philippines.

Senate Bill No. 940 or the Evacuation Center Act provides that these evacuation centers shall provide immediate evacuation for people who have been evacuated or displaced from their homes due to disasters, calamities, or other emergency events, including severe climate disturbances, fire, and the outbreak of illnesses and diseases.

Gatchalian pointed out the common practice of using school buildings as evacuation centers during calamities, which disrupt school activities. He further said that there is a lack of or inadequacy of calamity-proof school buildings and classrooms. Because of this, many classrooms also get damaged after a typhoon or calamity and therefore cannot be utilized as evacuation centers.

Under Gatchalian's proposed measure, new evacuation centers and improvements in schools used as evacuation centers should be able to withstand wind speeds of 320 kilometers per hour and moderate seismic activity of at least 7.2 magnitude.

"Hindi na tayo dapat masanay na gumamit ng mga silid-paaralan bilang mga evacuation center, lalo na't nakakaantala ito sa pagpapatuloy ng edukasyon matapos ang isang sakuna," Gatchalian said.

In Western Visayas alone, the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6's Rapid Assessment and Damages Report (RADAR) showed that 380 classrooms were totally damaged, with 397 more partially damaged when super typhoon Odette ravaged the country in December 2021. RADAR also reported that there were 11 schools damaged in Central Luzon, 9 in Cagayan Valley, 8 from Cordillera Administrative Region, and 7 in Ilocos Region from the recent earthquake in July this year.

The National Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) and the chief executives of local government units (LGU) shall also make a priority list of LGUs needing evacuation centers. If an LGU has no available site for construction, the NDRRMC may consider improving facilities in schools or other structures already being used as evacuation centers, according to Gatchalian.

Evacuation center sa bawat lungsod, munisipalidad ipinanukala ni Gatchalian

Muling ipinanukala ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang pagpapatayo ng evacuation center sa bawat lungsod at munisipalidad sa bansa.

Sa ilalim ng Senate Bill No. 940 o ang Evacuation Center Act, ang mga evacuation center na ito ay magsisilbing agarang evacuation para sa mga tao o pamilyang kinailangang lumikas dahil sa mga kalamidad at sakuna, kabilang ang sama ng panahon, sunog, at outbreak ng mga sakit.

Pinuna ni Gatchalian ang nakasanayang paggamit ng school buildings bilang evacuation center sa panahon ng kalamidad, bagay na nakakaantala sa mga aktibidad ng paaralan at pagpapatuloy ng edukasyon. Ayon pa sa senador, may kakulangan ng mga matitibay na silid-aralan at mga gusaling hindi nasasalanta ng mga bagyo o iba't-ibang kalamidad. Dahil dito, hindi na rin nagagamit ang mga ito bilang evacuation centers dahil nasira na.

Sa ilalim ng panukala ni Gatchalian, dapat kayanin ng mga bagong evacuation centers at ng mas pinatibay na mga pasilidad sa mga paaralan ang mga hangin na may bilis na 320 kilometers per hour at lindol na may 7.2 magnitude.

"Hindi na tayo dapat masanay na gumamit ng mga silid-paaralan bilang mga evacuation center, lalo na't nakakaantala ito sa pagpapatuloy ng edukasyon matapos ang isang sakuna," ani Gatchalian.

Lumalabas sa datos ng Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6 Rapid Assessment and Damages Report (RADAR) na sa Western Visayas na halos apat na raang (380) silid-aralan ang nasira, habang may halos apat na raan (397) din ang bahagyang nasira nung tumama ang super typhoon Odette sa bansa noong Disyembre 2021. Ayon pa sa RADAR, labing-isang (11) paaralan ang nasira sa Central Luzon, siyam (9) sa Cagayan Valley, walo (8) sa Cordillera Administrative Region, at pito (7) sa Ilocos Region nang tumama ang lindol noong nakaraang Hulyo.

Sa ilalim ng panukalang batas, gagawa ang National Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) at ang mga alkalde ng priority list ng mga local government units (LGUs) na nangangailangan ng evacuation centers. Kung ang isang LGU ay walang lupang maaaring pagtayuan ng evacuation center, maaari nilang patatagin at ayusin ang mga pasilidad o mga paaralan na ginagamit na bilang mga evacuation center.