Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ___________
Introduced by Representative MARLYN L. PRIMICIAS-AGABAS 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines remains among the most disaster-prone countries in the world, 
consistently exposed to typhoons, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other 
natural calamities. Its location is within the Pacific Ring of Fire, and the typhoon belt 
makes it particularly vulnerable. Compounding this natural exposure is the worsening 
impact of climate change, which has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme 
weather events, resulting in widespread loss of life, the displacement of entire 
communities, and billions in economic damage each year. 
According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2014 published by the Berlin-based 
environmental organization Germanwatch, the Philippines ranked among the top three 
countries most affected by climate-related catastrophes. Specifically, the country placed 
second—next only to Haiti—in terms of both the relative and absolute number of human 
casualties, as well as the economic damage brought by natural disasters. Further, the 
World Bank’s 2005 Natural Disaster Hotspots report identified the Philippines as one of 
the countries with the highest percentage of its population living in disaster-prone areas. 
This was echoed in the 2011 World Risk Report by the United Nations University and 
the Institute for Environment and Human Security, which ranked the Philippines third 
globally in terms of disaster risk based on exposure, susceptibility, coping, and adaptive 
capacity. 
Despite this well-documented vulnerability, many cities and municipalities remain 
critically underprepared to support displaced populations during emergencies. In the 
absence of dedicated evacuation facilities, public schools, covered courts, and 
community halls are often used as temporary shelters. However, these makeshift sites 
are frequently overcrowded, structurally inadequate, and lack essential amenities such 
as clean water, sanitation, and healthcare. This practice not only compromises the safety 
and dignity of evacuees—particularly vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, 
pregnant women, and persons with disabilities—but also disrupts essential public 
services, especially education. 
3015
August 5, 2025
8:00 am


The continued use of schools as evacuation centers gives rise to a second wave 
of displacement: the students. When evacuees are unable to vacate school premises 
due to the unavailability of alternative shelter or the destruction of their homes, classes 
are displaced to makeshift or outdoor learning environments. These conditions are far 
from conducive to effective learning and divert limited government resources from long-
term, structural disaster solutions to temporary fixes. 
To address these challenges, this proposed measure, entitled the “Evacuation 
Center Act”, seeks to establish permanent, fully equipped, and disaster-resilient 
evacuation centers in every city and municipality across the country. These facilities shall 
provide a safe and accessible refuge for individuals and families displaced by natural or 
human-induced disasters, reducing the dependency on public schools and other ill-
equipped structures. 
The proposed legislation is grounded in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, 
particularly Article II, Section 5, which mandates the State to protect the life, liberty, and 
property of its citizens and to promote the general welfare of the people. 
With over 1,488 municipalities and 146 cities across the country, the 
institutionalization of dedicated evacuation centers will provide a long-term and cost-
effective solution to the recurring displacement caused by disasters. More importantly, it 
will safeguard both lives and learning by removing the unacceptable tradeoff between 
emergency shelter and continued education. 
This measure was previously filed during the 18th Congress by Representatives 
Angelina “Helen” D.L. Tan, Romeo S. Momo, Sr., and Lucy Torres-Gomez. However, it 
has yet to be enacted into law. Given the increasing threats of climate change and the 
urgent need for preparedness infrastructure, it is imperative that this bill be passed 
without further delay. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate approval of this bill is earnestly 
sought. 
 
MARLYN L. PRIMICIAS-AGABAS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ___________
Introduced by Representative MARLYN L. PRIMICIAS-AGABAS 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING EVACUATION CENTERS IN EVERY CITY AND 
MUNICIPALITY, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled. 
SEC. 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 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. 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. 
SEC. 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.
3015


2. It must be at 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 landslides 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 
is 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 oversee 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 a manner that it 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 many evacuees. The evacuation 
center shall have the following minimum amenities: 
 
Sleeping quarters for the evacuees. 
 
1. Separate shower and toilet facilities designated for males and females, with one (1) 
facility for every twenty (20) persons. 
2. Amenities to enable access thereto by people with disabilities. 
3. Emergency exit doors. 
4. Food preparation areas with adequate ventilation. 
5. Trash and waste segregation and collection areas. 
6. Health care areas which shall include an isolation or quarantine area for potentially 
infectious persons. 
7. Rainwater harvesting and collection facilities; and 
8. Other facilities may be prescribed by the appropriate authorities. 
 


SEC. 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 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. 
 
SEC. 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 should give utmost 
priority to those areas of the country that (a) are identified as disaster prone; (b) are 
financially incapable of establishing 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. 
 
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. — 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 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 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. 
SEC. 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. 
 
SEC. 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. 
 
SEC. 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,