REVILLA HITS BONOAN'S ABSENCE IN COMMITTEE HEARING ON MANDATORY EVACUATION CENTERS

"Nasaan ang Secretary ng DPWH? In important legislations like this, dapat nandito si Secretary para at any given time, he answers questions. Para na nila tayong binabalewala nito eh. In my hearing, noong public works, wala sila. Ngayon, in your hearing, wala din," Senate Committee on Public Works Chairman Senator Ramon Bong Revilla said in exasperation during the public hearing of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation held today.

Revilla castigated the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the continuous absence of Sec. Manuel M. Bonoan in crucial legislative proceedings concerning public works.

The public hearing tackled several bills seeking to establish evacuation centers in all cities and municipalities in the country. Revilla emphasized the importance of having evacuation centers to give people a refuge when calamities strike.

"Just last week, the Committee on Public Works conducted a public hearing on the structural integrity of our country's infrastructures, should God forbid, a catastrophic disaster hit the Philippines - huwag naman po sana. But ensuring their structural integrity is one thing, providing our countrymen safe refuge in times of crisis is another," the lawmaker said.

Revilla also stressed the importance of vital infrastructures in guaranteeing not only the safety of the public during disasters, but also in giving them a safe place where they can seek retreat when buildings and structures around them collapse.

According to the United Nations (UN) International Organization for Migration (IOM), "evacuations in times of disasters, if managed properly, can be effective in saving lives."