The House Committee on Disaster Management is studying the feasibility of passing a bill that would mandate the construction of one permanent evacuation center in every area in the country that is considered to be prone to natural disaster.
Authored by Quezon City Rep. Precious Castelo, House Bill No. 3691, to be known as the Permanent Evacuation Center Act, will make it mandatory for government to establish an evacuation center in localities that have been established as prone to natural disasters.
HB 3691 is still pending before the panel chaired by Rep. Lucy Torres of Leyte.
The bill provides that the permanent evacuation center be established as refuge for people who have lost their homes or are fleeing natural calamities such as typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis.
“Permanent evacuation facilities should alleviate the sorry condition of the victims and provide a safe haven until they resume their normal lives,” Castelo explained.
The neophyte lawmaker noted that during the eruption of Mayon Volcano in Albay, evacuees living in danger zones were evacuated to school buildings or gymnasiums.
“School buildings and gymnasiums were not built to serve the purpose and only aggravate the plight of evacuees in the long run,” she said.
The series of earthquakes that jolted Mindanao have also posed similar problems for people who evacuate their residences that are in danger zones.
A state of panic has prompted thousands of residents in Davao del Sur and North Cotabato to leave for makeshift evacuation centers such as public schools.
News reports disclosed that many displaced people have left government evacuation centers in search for better conditions compared to crowded evacuation centers. (Ben R. Rosario)
