EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
]
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
]
First Regular Session 
]
S. No
SENATE
736
TuCj:
o' iiu' fc'.'irpirip
’i9 JUL 24 An :43
L £C .. . J ii'. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Introduced by SEN. SHERWIN T. GATCHALIAN
AN ACT MANDATING THE CREATION OF A SCHOOL DISASTER MANAGEMENT 
COMMITTEE TO CONDUCT SAFETY DRILLS FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS IN
ALL SCHOOLS
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The occurrence of natural or human-induced disasters does not give us warnings 
or the time to make quick judgments. Because of their age and vulnerability, children 
most likely, will be helpless and susceptible to panic and despair. Their response may 
be inadequate to prepare them for the eventuality of catastrophic events. To equip 
them to better understand the occurrence of these events and empower them with the 
knowledge to guide their response, this bill is proposing for the creation of a school- 
based disaster management committee that will develop a disaster management plan in 
coordination with the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, public 
order and safety offices and the law enforcement agencies.
Notable provisions in the Republic Act No. 10121, also known as the "Philippine 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act o f 2010" are the following:


SEC. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  I t  shall be the policy o f the State to:
Xxx
(e) Develop, promote, and implement a comprehensive National 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Rian (NDRRMP) that aims to 
strengthen the capacity o f the national government and the local 
government units (LGUs), together with partner stakeholders, to build the 
disaster resilience o f communities, and to institutionalize arrangements 
and measures for reducing disaster preparedness and response 
capabilities at all levels;
Xxx
(h) 
Institutionalize 
the 
policies, 
structures, 
coordination 
mechanisms and programs with continuing budget appropriation on 
disaster risk reduction from national down to local levels towards building 
a disaster-resilient nation and communities;
Xxx
(k) Recognize the local risk patters across the country and 
strengthen the capacity o f LGUs for disaster risk reduction and 
management 
through 
decentraiized 
powers, 
responsibilities, 
and 
resources at the regional and local levels;
Xxx
(n) Develop and strengthen the capacities o f vulnerable and 
marginalized groups to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover 
from the effects o f disasters;


XXX.
The school being the second home of our children, we entrust to them the 
responsibility of inculcating a culture of resilience through an enhanced capacity of 
preparedness and adequate training to respond to incidents of these nature.
The bill shall institutionalize the conduct of regular drills and provide evaluations 
for an effective assessment of the disaster management plan. In order that schools 
adopt the minimum requirements set forth in this Act, penalties shall likewise be 
imposed to ensure compliance.
Because of climate change and the inevitability of natural and human-induced
disasters to occur, we urge for the immediate approval of this
T. GATCi


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
]
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
]
First Regular Session 
]
S. No.
SENATE
736
of tl)f &ecrftar?
"‘9 
Jll 24 All ^3
..V  _ J 2 _____
Introduced by SEN. SHERWIN T. GATCHALIAN
AN ACT MANDATING THE CREATION OF A SCHOOL DISASTER 
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE TO CONDUCT SAFETY DRILLS FOR 
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS IN  ALL SCHOOLS
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House o f Representatives o f the 
Philippines in Congress assembled:
1 
SEC. 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as the "Disaster
2 
Preparedness in Schools Act."
3 
SEC. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  It is the policy of the State to train the
4 
people, particularly students and school staff, on how to appropriately respond to
5 
emergency situations including human-induced or natural calamities in order to
6 
reduce the risk on their lives, limbs and property whenever a calamity or
7 
emergency occurs at school when classes are on-going or in the locality where
8 
the school is located. The State also recognizes the importance of generating the
9 
highest level of awareness among the public on disaster risk reduction concerns
10 
and to assess the capacity level of schools and the community in the eventuality
11 
of disasters and emergencies. Towards this end, the State shall mandate the
12 
conduct of earthquake, fire, and other safety drills for emergency situations in all
13 
schools.


1 
SEC. 3. Creation o f the School Disaster Management Committee. -
2 
Each school shall establish and maintain a School Disaster Management
3 
Committee, hereinafter referred to as the Committee, to oversee disaster risk
4 
reduction and preparedness activities to be undertaken by the school's staff and
5 
students.
6 
The Committee shall develop, adapt, implement, and update the school
7 
disaster management plan. It shall meet at the beginning of each school year or
8 
semester and quarterly during the school year, or as it may deem necessary. It
9 
shall encourage personal and organizational preparedness, guide mitigation
10 
work, ensure compliance with the provisions of this Act, lead in the conduct of
11 
the monthly drills, evaluate the results, and adjust school disaster management
12 
plan accordingly.
13 
The Committee shall also maintain formal links between the school and
14 
the local disaster risk reduction and management council.
15 
SEC. 4. Member o f the School Disaster Management Committee. -
16 
The Committee shall be composed of the following:
17 
a) School principal or president as head and focal person;
18 
b) Representative of the school's teaching personnel;
19 
c) Representative of the school's non-teaching personnel;
20 
d) Representative from the parents-teacher association;
21 
e) Representative of the barangay council;
22 
f) Representative of the community where the school is situated;
23 
g) Representative of the students, preferably an elected representative from
24 
the student body, when applicable; and a
25
h) Representative from the religious sector.


1 
SEC. 5. Duties and Responsibilities o f the Disaster Management
2 
Committee. -  a) Conduct drills in schools -  It shall be the mandate of every
3 
School Disaster Management Committee in all elementary schools, high schools,
4 
and higher education institutions including technical-vocational schools and
5 
training schools, whether public or private, to conduct an earthquake, fire, or
6 
safety drills for other emergency situations in their respective premises
7 
periodically. All students and staff of the school shall actively participate in the
8 
drills.
9 
i. 
During the school year, all elementary and high schools are
10 
expected to conduct a minimum total of five (5) safety drills which
11 
shall include two (2) fire drills, two (2) earthquake drills, and one
12 
(1) other risk-related drill. The School Disaster Management
13 
Committee, which shall be established by the schools in accordance
14 
with Section 4 of this Act, should consider possible high-risk local
15 
events including flooding, tsunami, or lahar flow occurrences in the
16 
locality when deciding what other risk-related drill shall be
17 
conducted in the school. It may conduct additional drills as it may
18 
deem necessary.
19 
ii. 
All higher education institutions including technical-vocational
20 
school and training schools shall conduct an earthquake, fire, or
21 
safety drills for other emergency situations every semester or at
22 
least twice a year.
23 
iii. 
Teachers or faculty members, in case of HEIs, shall be designated
24 
as safety officers to ably assist the students and other participants
25 
during the conduct of the safety drills.
26 
For the purposes of this Act, elementary schools shall include pre-school
27 
learning institutions. In succeeding sections of this Act, the term school refers to


1 
elementary schools, high schools, and higher education institutions including
2 
technical-vocational schools and training schools.
3 
b) Identify high risk areas in the school -  The Committee shall assess and
4 
identify risks in the school premises by considering potential hazards and
5 
evaluating existing conditions of vulnerability that together could potentially
6 
harm the students, the people in the community near the school, and their
7 
property.
8 
The Committee shall prepare a school site map and community maps to
9 
record and visualize risks and resources in the school premises and in the
10 
community. The school map shall indicate high risk areas, vulnerabilities, and
11 
resources in the school premises and should be displayed in corridors and other
12 
important areas in the school. It shall also mark evacuation routes on this map.
13 
c) Develop a school disaster management plan -  The Committee shall
14 
develop a school disaster management plan which includes strategies that are
15 
coordinated with the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council,
16 
public order and safety offices, and law enforcement agencies aimed at the
17 
prevention of, education about, and response to potential incidents involving
18 
natural or human-induced disasters, crime, and violence on or near the school
19 
campus.
20 
The school disaster management plan shall be reviewed annually by the
21 
Committee at the start of the school year and, as the need arise, necessary
22 
revisions should be made accordingly.
23 
d) Coordinate with local authorities -  The Committee shall ensure close
24 
coordination by the school with the concerned regional, municipal and barangay
25 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils, law enforcement agencies,
26 
and other concerned agencies prior to the conduct of the safety drills to ensure
27 
the success of the activity and safety of the participants.


1 
e) Evaluate the conduct o f drills -  Drill evaluation forms prepared by the
2 
Department of Education in coordination with the National Disaster Risk
3 
Reduction and Management Office. The drill evaluation form shall indicate,
4 
among others, the drill conducted, level of participation, school evaluation and
5 
school disaster management plan evaluation and assessment.
6 
SEC. 6. Penalties. -  Any person in charge of the administration or
7 
management of schools, who refuse or fails to carry out the provisions of this Act
8 
shall be given a warning for the first offense; a fine of One Hundred Thousand
9 
Pesos (P100,000.00) for the second offense; a fine of Two Hundred Thousand
10 
Pesos (P200,000.00) for the third offense; and imprisonment of one (1) month
11 
and a fine of Three Hundred Thousand Pesos (P300,000.00) for subsequent
12 
offenses. The fines shall go to the funds of the local NDRRMC office and shall be
13 
used for disaster prevention and mitigation programs of the locality.
14 
SEC. 7. Im plem enting Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90)
15 
days from the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Education, in consultation
16 
with the Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education, Director General of
17 
the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, National Disaster Risk
18 
Reduction and Management Council and the Secretary of the Interior and Local
19 
Government, shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the
20 
effective implementation of this Act.
21 
SEC. 8. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this Act is
22 
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not
23 
affected shall remain in full force and effect.
24 
SEC. 9. Repealing Clause. - 
All laws, executive orders, presidential
25 
decrees, rules and regulation or parts thereof inconsistent with any provisions of
26 
this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.


1 
SEC. 10. Effectivity. -  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
2 
publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) national newspapers of general
3 
circulation.
Approved,