REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
QUEZON CITY
NINETEEr`ITH CONG REss
First Regular Session
HousEBILL`Nb.   5858
Introduced by
REPRESENTATIVE ATTY. GERVILLE ``|INKY BITRICS" R. LUISTRO
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The  Philippines  ranked  eighth  (8th)  in  the  World  Economic  Forum's  2021
World Risk Index.   The World Risk Index is the annual technical report on global
disaster risk using 27 aggregated, publicly-used indicators in determining disaster
risk for 181 countries.
The said index proved that our country is vulnerable to disasters and natural
calamities. In fact, given its geographical location, our country is frequently visited
by Tropical Cyclones (TCs) that cause devastation to life and property. According to
the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA), there are about 20 TCs that enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility
(PAR), with about eight (8) to nine (9) TCs crossing the Philippinesl.   And with the
effects of climate change, particularly, the warming of the sea surface temperatures
and sea-level rise, tropical storm wind speeds gradually intensify. In effect, TCs are
expected to deliver more damage during a landfall. In fact, the National Oceanic ancl
Atmospheric  Administration   (NOAA)   suggested   that  an  increase  in  Typhoon
Cdtegory Four (4) and Five (5) is likely to happen, with hurricane speeds increasing
by up to 100/o 2.
Further,  the  Philippines  is  located  in  the  ``Pacific  Ring  of  Fire'',  where
earthquakes   and   volcanic   eruptions   often   occur.   Data   from   the   Philippine
Volcanology  and  Seismology  (PHILVOCS)  have  shown  that  around  100  to  150
earthquakes occur in the country, bearing an average magnitude of 4.0 and above3.
Moreover,   the  country  has  at  least  24  active  volcanoes,   as  classified  by  the
I  httDs ://www. I)agasa. dost. gov. Dh/climate/tropical-cvclone-
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PHILVOCS, with 13 volcanic eruptions recorded in the past two decades4.
In  view  of  these,  the  State  continues  to  undertake  various  measures  to
improve  our  disaster  preparedness  and  resilience,  particularly  the  provision  of
decent dwellings to affected families and communities. However, while the State is
equally  capable  of  handling  these  calamities,  its  usual  response  to  address  the
evident need for shelter provision, among others, is temporary evacuation in public
school buildings - a practice that must not be countenanced, to the extent possible. It
is therefore imperative that the construction of disaster-resilient evacuation centers,
in  all regions,  cities,  and  municipalities  be  realized  and  implemented  instead  to
remedy the foregoing concern.
This bill envisions  to  ensure  safety of our people  during  emergencies  and
disasters, through the estabhihment, operation and maintenance of fully-equipped
evacuation centers in accessible and safe areas.  This measure likewise:
1)   mandates  the  National  Disaster  Risk  Reduction  and  Management  Council
(NDRRMC) to be the lead agency in the implementation of the Act and shall
give  priority  to  localities  that:  (a)  are  identified  as  disaster-prone;  ap)  are
financially unable to fund, construct, and operate an evacuation center; and
(c) do not have an existing evacuation center;
2)  mandates the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to be the
lead  ageney  in  formulating  building  specifications   and   design  that  are
disaster-resilient  and  compHant  to  the  National  Building  Code  and  other
existing   laws,   including   its   construction   and   maintenance   guidelines,
chargeable against the DPWH annual budget;
3)   directs the NDRMMC to coordinate with the DPWH and the Department of
Science   and   Technology   (DOST)   for:   (i)   design   specifications,   (ii)   cost
estimates and construction details, and (iii) technical assistance and support
services to LGUs in the management of the facility; and,
4)   Directs  Local  Governments  of  Cities  and  Municipalities  to  be  primarily
responsible for the operation and supervision, management, and the issuance
of necessary rules and regulations on the proper use of the facility.
While calamities and natural disaster's occurrence is beyond the control of the
government, it can however develop a pohicy of timely preparedness for our citizens,
lessen the risks, and save lives.
In  the  18th  Congress,  various  similar  bills  were  filed,  consolidated,  and
subsequently  passed  the  3rd  Reading.  It  is  noteworthy  to  recognize  the  primary
authors for their esteemed efforts, namely, Representatives Alfred Vargas, Angelina
``Helen"   D.L.   Tan,   M.D.,   Precious   Hipolito-Castelo,   Luis   Raymund   "LRay"   F.
Villafuerte, Lucy Torres€omez, Carlos Isagani Zarate, John Marvin "Yul Servo" C.
Nieto,  Raneo  Abu,  Ferdinand  Hernandez,  Eric  Olivarez, |anice  Salimbangon, Joy
4https://www.worlddata.info/asia/philippines/volcanos.php#:~:text=With%2010%20volcanos%20in%20the`Her
e%2C%201335%20people%20died.


Myra  Tambunting,  Deogracias  Victor  ``DV"  Savellano,  Rufus  Rodriguez,  Alfred
Delos Santos, Lianda Bolilia, and Manuel Cabochan Ill.


REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
QUEZON CITY
NINETEEr\ITH coNGREss
First Regulai. Session
.+,,
HOUSE BILL NO.
Introduced by
REPRESENTATIVE ATTY. GERVILLE ``TINKY BITRICS" R. LUISTRO
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A MANDATORY EVACUATION CENTER
IN ALL CITIES, PROVINCES AND MUNICIPALITIES,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be  it  enacted by  the  Senate  and  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 clinate change, the occurrence of severe floods, typhoons, and other
natural or human-induced disasters, illnesses, diseases and other factors that affect
the envirorment.
SECTION 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 goverrmtent unit concerned.


SECTION 3. Requirements. The following shall be the minimum requirements for
every evacuation center that will be established under this Act:
(a) Loc¢ft.o#  Dos..gr¢fc'o#.  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 fachity;
(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.
®) Sfrotcft„¢Z ¢r.d B#'i.%#g Cflpflct.fry. The evacuation centers shall be constructed
and designed to withstand super typhoons or wind speeds of at least thi.ee
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
(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) Emergeney 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 4. Operation and Management. The LGUs concerned shall be prinarily
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 s¢77ggr7ir.fl7t 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.
ProtJz.decz,  That the evacuation center may ordy 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:  P7`ovz.dc4Z rtyrfher,  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 Municipahity at least once every year and immediately after
the occurrence of a hazard or disaster.
SECTION  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;
@) 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 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.
SECTION 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within sixty (60) days from the
effectivity of this Act, the NDRRMC sham, in consultation with the DPWH, DOST,
League of Cities of the Phhippines, 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 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.
SECTION 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.
SECTION 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.


SECTION  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,