WITH the Philippines being constantly hit by catastrophic disasters, Members of the House of Representatives, at the onset of the 19th Congress, filed a measure that would make temporary shelters always available for Filipinos.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Committee on Accounts Chairperson Rep. Yedda Maria Romualdez (Partylist, Tingog), and Rep. Jude Acidre (Partylist, Tingog) filed House Bill 16, establishing evacuation centers in every city and municipality that would offer accommodation for people who have been displaced from their homes due to natural or man-made disasters.
Meanwhile, the explanatory note to HB 16 states that “seeking temporary solutions to the displacement of families by using schools as evacuation centers must be stopped. There should be no tradeoff between protecting lives and the education of students. The provision of adequate evacuation centers is of invaluable importance during cataclysmic times.”
To save government expenses, the measure provides that existing structures that could be upgraded to effectively serve as evacuation centers would be designated as such in compliance with the local government unit concerned.
The LGUs would be responsible for the operation, supervision, and management of these evacuation centers. Additionally, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Science and Technology, would determine the design specifications, cost estimates, and construction details of the evacuation centers. HB 16 has already been referred to the Committee on Disaster Resilience to be deliberated upon by the legislators.
