Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING EVACUATION CENTERS IN EVERY CITY AND 
MUNICIPALITY, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines remains one of the world’s most disaster-prone 
countries by virtue of its geographic location. Located along the boundary of 
major tectonic plates and at the center of a typhoon belt, the country is 
regularly impacted by floods, typhoons, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, 
and droughts. 
Worldwide, the Philippines remains in the top three countries most 
affected by climate-related weather catastrophes1. In the said report, the 
Philippines ranked second to Haiti in terms of “relative and absolute number 
of human victims, and relative and absolute economic damage" caused by 
natural disasters. 
Despite the frequency and vulnerability of the country to natural 
disasters, the resiliency of the Filipino people have made use of schools as the 
default evacuation centers in times of calamities, disasters, conflicts and 
emergencies. However, schools are but makeshift evacuation sites and are not 
well-equipped with necessary facilities for such emergency occurrences and 
situations. 
When schools and classrooms become makeshift evacuation centers, 
students are also displaced and are forced to either suspend classes or do so 
in unconducive learning environments. This social dilemma during natural 
disasters and emergency situations must be immediately addressed. 
1 Germanwatch. Global Climate Risk Index 2014. 
August 10, 2022
5:55 pm
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This bill seeks to establish quality infrastructure which will serve as 
evacuation centers in every city and municipality with the end view of 
decongesting temporary evacuation centers in public schools and private 
facilities. This proposed measure also sets the optimum safety requirements 
that these evacuation centers should meet. The proposed evacuation centers 
must be easily accessible to evacuees and emergency rescue personnel and 
must be able to withstand any natural or man-made disasters. It must be 
designed to have space that can be used flexibly for recreational activities and 
as sleeping quarters during the evacuation. It must also be well-ventilated, 
able to accommodate large groups of people, and must have bathing and toilet 
amenities. 
 
It is the hope of this measure to provide long-term sustainable solutions 
to a country heavily affected by natural disasters, without compromising the 
lives and welfare of affected civilians. 
 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is urgently 
sought. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REP. PM VARGAS   
 
Fifth District, Quezon City 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. PM VARGAS 
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. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Evacuation 
Centers in Every City and Municipality Act". 
SECTION 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. 
SECTION 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 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 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. 
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 frees, structures where 
hazardous materials are used and stored, Of 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 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 a manner that is safely 
above the reach of a high tide storm surge level of at least ten (10) 
meters; 


 
 
2. 'lhe 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   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 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 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 I-n 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. 
 
SECTION 6. 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 7. 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 8. 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. 
 
SECTION 9. Appropriation. -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 10. Separability Clause. – If any provision is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or provision not otherwise affected 
shall remain valid and subsisting. 
 
SECTION 11. Non-Impairment Clause. – Nothing in this Act shall be 
construed as to diminish, impair, or repeal rights recognized, granted, or 
made available to disadvantaged, marginalized, or specific sectors under 
existing laws. 
 
SECTION 12. 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, 
modified, or amended accordingly. 
 
SECTION 13. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in at least two (2) newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,