Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.,  
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. 
HORIBATA AND HON. NICOLAS ENCISO VIII 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Philippines is susceptible to natural hazards, unforeseen disasters and other 
calamities because of its location along the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire; an area 
where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are more recurring than in any other areas 
of the world. The country fronts the Pacific Ocean, making it vulnerable to frequent 
typhoons and related weather disturbances regularly especially at the onset of climate 
change. 
These catastrophic incidences create a disastrous state in the lives of the Filipino. 
Among the Filipinos, the underprivileged are the ones who suffer the most during these 
times.  They have lost their shelters; they have no food to eat; sometimes, even lives 
are taken by these calamities. Indeed the country cannot avoid these natural hazards, 
but the government can reduce the effects to the lives and living of the Filipinos. Thus, 
there is an urgent need for the State to establish evacuation centers in all cities, 
provinces, and municipalities. 
These mandatory evacuation centers will be able to provide them temporary shelters 
even before the forecasted disaster actually happens. Further, while the victims are 
temporarily staying in the evacuation centers, the government can not only cater to 
their basic needs, but can also guarantee their safety, promote their social wellbeing, 
and guard their welfare while they recover and rebuild their homes and their lives. 
To emphasize, this bill seeks to establish the availability of mandatory evacuation 
centers not only in some chosen areas of the archipelago but in all cities, provinces 
and municipalities ensuring equal protection among the citizens. 
While the State cannot control the indefinite occurrence of these calamities, it can 
however control the preparedness of the government and its people in facing such 
unfortunate incidents. The more prepared we are, the less impact these disasters can 
leave in the lives of the people.  
July 4, 2022
2:25 pm
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In view of the foregoing, the approval of this measure is earnestly sought 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
 MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE 
TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA 
NICOLAS ENCISO VIII 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.,  
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. 
HORIBATA AND HON. NICOLAS ENCISO VIII 
AN ACT  
ESTABLISHING A MANDATORY EVACUATION CENTER IN ALL CITIES, 
PROVINCES AND MUNICIPALITIES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. – 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 fully-equipped and fully-operational evacuation center, responsive to 
environmental or climatic events, in recognition of the vulnerability of the Philippines 
to climate change, the occurrence of severe floods, typhoons, and other natural or 
human-induced disasters, illnesses, diseases and other factors that affect the 
environment. 
SECTION 2. Establishment of Evacuation Centers. – There shall be established an 
evacuation center in every city and municipality in the country which shall provide 
immediate and temporary accommodation for people who have been evacuated or 
displaced from their homes due to emergency events such as typhoons, floods, storm 
surges, drought and other severe climate disturbances, as well as fire, and the 
outbreak of illnesses and diseases that present imminent danger to life and property. 
Existing structures that would meet the minimum requirements or could be 
upgraded to effectively serve as evacuation centers could be designated as such in 
compliance with the local government unit concerned. 
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SECTION 3. Requirements. – The following shall be the minimum requirements for 
every evacuation center that will be established under this Act: 
a. 
Location Designation – Each location for every evacuation center shall 
be determined by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in 
close coordination with the LGUs concerned. 
The location shall be determined based on the following criteria: 
1. It must be centrally located in the community; 
2. It must be of a safe distance from large trees, structures where hazardous 
materials are used and stored, or high-voltage power lines; 
3. It must be near a health facility; 
4. It must be located on geotechnically stable land to avoid risk of landslides or 
exposure to potential landslide of adjacent lands; 
5. It must not be located near military base camps, camps of insurgent groups, 
power plants, factories, and other areas where the occurrence of human 
induced disasters are very high. 
 
b. 
Structural and Building Capacity – The evacuation centers shall be 
constructed and designed to withstand super typhoons or wind speeds of at least three 
hundred kilometers per hour (300 kph) and seismic activity of at least 8.0 magnitude. 
The structure must be calamity-resilient, built with sturdy materials, and in accordance 
with the specifications of Republic Act No. 6541, otherwise known as the “National 
Building Code of the Philippines” or shall be at par with the standards set by the 
International Building Code. 
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) shall be in charge of 
the construction of evacuation centers, including the formulation of building 
specifications and shall ensure that the same are based on standards, issuances, and 
other guidelines set by the DPWH, and are compliant with the provisions of the 
National Building Code. The DPWH shall also ensure that the construction of such 
evacuation centers is in accordance with the abovementioned requirements during its 
construction phase. 
The specifications of the evacuation centers shall be periodically reviewed and, 
if necessary, revised by the DPWH every three (3) years. 
The evacuation center must at least meet the following parameters: 


 
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1. The structure must be elevated, in such a manner that is safely above the 
reach of a high tide storm surge level of at least ten (10) meters; 
2. The structure must be a minimum of one (1) meter above the average flood 
level in the area where the same shall be built; and 
3. The structure shall not be less than nine (9) meters in height and shall be 
designed in accordance with earthquake load standards. 
 
c.  
Amenities and Accessibility. – The evacuation centers shall be well 
ventilated and shall have the capacity to accommodate a large number of evacuees. 
The evacuation center shall have the following minimum amenities: 
1. Sleeping quarters for the evacuees; 
2. Separate shower and toilet facilities designated for males and females, with 
one (1) facility for every twenty (20) persons; 
3. Amenities to enable access thereto by persons with disabilities; 
4. Emergency exit doors; 
5. Food preparation areas with adequate ventilation; 
6. Trash and waste segregation and collection areas; 
7. Health care areas which shall include an isolation or quarantine area for 
potentially infectious persons; 
8. Rainwater harvesting and collection facilities; and 
9. Other facilities as may be prescribed by the appropriate authorities. 
 
SECTION 4. Operation and Management. – The LGUs concerned shall be primarily 
responsible for the operation, supervision, and management of evacuation centers 
established under this Act. They are also hereby authorized to issue rules and 
regulations on their proper use and maintenance. 
The local sanggunian shall promulgate guidelines and procedures for the use 
and operation of the evacuation center under its jurisdiction. The guidelines shall 
prescribe rules on the utilization of the evacuation center when it is not used as such. 
Provided, That the evacuation center may only be used for such other activities or 
purposes that involve the use of collapsible amenities only and those that shall not in 
any way compromise the serviceability of the evacuation center or impede the use 
thereof when a disaster occurs: Provided further, That the LGU shall impose such 
penalties as may be deemed proper on the organizers of authorized activities when 


 
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the evacuation center suffers any damage, defacement, or loss during or as a result 
of such activities. 
The mandatory audit of infrastructures used as evacuation centers shall be 
conducted by the City or Municipality at least once every year and immediately after 
the occurrence of a hazard or disaster. 
 
SECTION 5. Role of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management 
Council (NDRRMC). – The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management 
Council (NDRRMC) shall be the lead implementing agency of this Act. It shall give 
utmost priority to those areas of the country that (a) are identified as disaster prone; 
(b) are financially incapable to establish their own evacuation centers; and (c) do not 
have existing evacuation centers of their own. 
It shall enter into memoranda of agreement (MOA) with the concerned LGUs for 
the maintenance, operation, and management of a permanent evacuation center in 
their respective areas of jurisdiction. It shall provide technical assistance and support 
services to these LGUs in the management of the facility. 
Local chief executives concerned shall evaluate and provide suitable sites for 
evacuation centers to determine their geographical stability, and public accessibility in 
times of disasters. They shall provide for the maintenance, operation, and 
management of the facility taking into consideration the goal of life preservation and 
meeting the basic subsistence needs of affected population based on acceptable 
standards during or immediately after a disaster. 
 
SECTION 6. Coordination Among Agencies. – The NDRRMC shall coordinate with 
the DPWH and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) with regard to the 
design specifications, cost estimates, and construction details of the evacuation 
centers that will be constructed pursuant to this Act. 
Concerned government agencies and instrumentalities, when necessary, shall 
provide assistance to the NDRRMC to ensure the effective and efficient 
implementation of this Act. 
 
SECTION 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within sixty (60) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the NDRRMC shall, in consultation with the DPWH, DOST, 
League of Cities of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, and 


 
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other concerned government and private agencies, promulgate the necessary rules 
and regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
 
SECTION 8. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the initial implementation 
to fund the construction and maintenance of multi-purpose gyms to serve as 
evacuation centers shall be charged against the budget provided for this purpose 
under the DPWH. Thereafter, such amounts necessary for the construction of 
multipurpose gyms as evacuation centers shall be included in the annual General 
Appropriations Act. The LGU concerned shall provide the continued maintenance, 
operation and management of the facility. 
 
SECTION 9. Separability Clause. – If any provision or part thereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provisions not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting. 
 
SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary 
to, or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed or amended 
accordingly. 
 
SECTION 11. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,