G REPRESS

Republic of the Phili E-Filed
.epublic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RECEIVED
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. _ 6892

Introduced by: REP. SALVADOR A. PLEYTO, SR.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The calamities that struck our country over the past years evidently shows that there is
aneed to strengthen our disaster response, disaster preparedness and post-disaster reaction.

When disasters strike, especially flooding and fire which are the common recurring
disasters in our country, the underprivileged victims are the ones who suffer the most. Instead
of having respite after a disaster, further ordeal are often experienced due to a congested and
improper facility used as an evacuation center.

Schools which are commonly used to accommodate displaced victims of a disaster
should no longer be used as evacuation centers because they are not made and designed to be
one. They are not equipped with enough facilities and such practice hampers the learning
schedule of our students,

This proposed measure aims to provide for the construction and maintenance of a fully
equipped evacuation center in every city and municipality in the Philippines. This will
strengthen disaster preparation and response capability for future disasters.

In view of the foregoing, the approval of this measure is earnestly sought.

SALVADO) ILEYTO, SR.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS,
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 6892 _

—

Introduced by: REP. SALVADOR A. PLEYTO, SR.

AN ACT ESTABLISHING EVACUATION CENTERS IN EVERY CITY AND
MUNICIPALITY, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREOF

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title — This Act shall be known as the “Evacuation Centers Act of
2023”,

SEC. 2. 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

SEC. 3. 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 other 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.

SEC. 4, 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.


b)

°)

‘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;

it must be near a health facility;

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.

AY

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 80 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:

1. The structure must be elevated, in such 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.

‘Amenities and Accessibility — The evacuation centers shall be well-ventilated and

shall have the capacity to accommodate a large number of evacuees. The 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;


s

Trash and waste segregation and collection areas,
7. Health care areas which shall include an isolation or quarantine are for
potentially infectious persons;

8. Rainwater harvesting and collection facilities; and
9. Other facilities as may be prescribed by the appropriate authorities

SEC. 5. 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 herby authorized to issue rules and regulations on their proper
use and maintenance.

The focal sanggunian shail 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 of 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 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
east once every year and immediately after the occurrence of a hazard or disaster.

SEC. 6. Role of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC) ~ The NDRRMC shall be the lead implementing agency of this Act. It shall give
utmost priority to those areas of the country that are identified as disaster prone, financially
incapable to establish their own evacuation centers, and do not have existing evacuation
centers of their own.

It shall enter into a Memorandum 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.

SEC . 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.


SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) ~ 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, Leagues of Municipalities of the Philippines, and other concerned
government and private agencies, promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to carry out
the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 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 shall be included in the
annual General Appropriations Act. The LGU concemed shall provide the continued
maintenance, operation and management of the facility.

SEC. 9.  Separability Clause. - Should any part of this Act be declared
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions hereof that are not affected thereby shall
continue in full force and effect.

Sec. 10. Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, rules
and regulations, and issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of
this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SEC. 11. Effectivity — This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation

Approved,