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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill NO. _________ 
Introduced by Representative Richard I. Gomez 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines continues to be recognized as one of the most disaster-prone 
countries in the world. Many disasters after Typhoon Yolanda and Tropical Storm 
Ondoy, the deadliest disasters to hit our country, we are still not in best form in terms 
of preparation. Yes, we have drastically reduced the number of casualties from disasters 
in the most recent years. This is a result of improvements in our responsiveness and 
decisiveness in evacuating affected areas. 
But we are still far from guaranteeing safe, clean, comfortable and decent 
accommodations for evacuated families. Most of the time, the default buildings that are 
designated as evacuation centers are schools, churches and multipurpose gymnasiums. 
Because these buildings were not built with evacuation as the primary purpose, these 
end up serving only as make shift evacuation centers. More often than not, these 
evacuation centers do not have proper sleeping quarters, sufficient clean restrooms, 
cooking quarters, to name a few shortcomings. What is worst is when the evacuation 
centers are the very buildings that cave-in in the middle of a super typhoon.  
To address this issue, it is imperative that this Congress passes this bill that 
mandates standardized evacuation centers for every city and municipality. With the 
enactment of this bill, each LGU will be assured at least one evacuation center that 
conforms to disaster-proof building standards, decent accommodations, food 
preparation area, first aid and ample restrooms.  
This bill was passed on third reading in the 18th Congress, and was introduced 
primarily by my predecessor Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez, along with Reps. Momo, Yap 
(E.), Vargas, Singson-Meehan, Belmonte, Villarica, Santos-Recto, Tiangco, Dalipe, 
Castelo, Sy-Alvarado, Villafuerte, Panotes, Zarate, Gaite, Cullamat, Brosas, Nieto, 
Abu, Teves (J.), Hernandez, Sakaluram, Matugas, Olivarez, Salimbangon, Barba, Lara, 
Gorriceta, Savellano, Tambunting, Rodriguez, Bulut, Delos Santos, Bolilia, Bordado, 
Cabochna, Defensor (L.), Sangcopan, Babasa, Co (A.N.)., De Jesus, Gonzaga, 
Escudero, Arenas, Oaminal, Garcia (P.J.), Revilla, De Venecia, Quimbo, Biazon, 
Calderon, Campos, Cua, Cuaresma, Daza, Duavit, Frasco, Gasataya, Haresco, 
August 18, 2022
10:02 am
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Sagarbarria, Tejada, Violago, Albano, Balindong, Bascug, Benitez, Cabatbat, 
Caminero, Cari, DAgooc, Deloso-Montalla, Dimporo (A.), Dimaporo (M.K.), Dujali, 
Dy (F.), Dy (F.M.C.), Dy (I.P.), Gullas, Guya, Labadlabad, Maceda, Natividad-Nagano, 
Ong (J.), Ortega, Reyes, Roman, Tan (A.S.), Tutor, Vargas Alfonso, Vergara, Enverga, 
Flores, Go (M.), Loyola, Robes, Saulog, Cagas, and Velasco. 
 
Acknowledging the original authors, and guided by the foregoing rationale, I 
urge my fellow member of Congress to pass this bill at the soonest time possible.  
 
 
 
 
RICHARD I. GOMEZ 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill NO. _________ 
Introduced by Representative Richard I. Gomez 
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: 
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. 
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:  
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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; and 
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: 
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 


 
 
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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. 
 
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. 


 
 
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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 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 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 the 
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 the 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, costs 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 
that 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 General Appropriations Act. The LGU 


 
 
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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 provision 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 either in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,