Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Philippines is a country especially vulnerable to natural disasters. Being
located both within the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Typhoon Belt, the country
experiences multiple heavy rainfall, volcanic activity, and earthquakes within a year,
which caused the displacement of 700,038 individuals in the year 2021 alone.1 Add to
this the 108,463 individuals displaced due to armed conflict situations2 and it
becomes clear that the country needs to prepare more than just covered courts and
multi-purpose halls for disaster situations. As people are forced to flee from their
established homes, it devolves upon the State to ensure that they have a safe and
sanitary dwelling place in the meantime; somewhere to stay while they go through the
process of rebuilding.
The present bill seeks to strengthen the country’s capacity to assist its
disaster-stricken citizens by mandating the construction of permanent evacuation
centers in every city and municipality in the country. In this way, every locality will be
in a position to provide adequate aid to their population in situations that require
mass evacuation. Furthermore, the present measure would also allow these localities
to offer assistance to neighboring areas, should the latter lack the space to house all of
their evacuees.
Thus, it is for the foregoing reasons that the passage of this bill is earnestly
sought.
ALFRED C. DELOS SANTOS
Representative, Ang Probinsyano Party-List
2 Id.
1 Philippines among nations with most disaster-related internal displacements in 2021 (accessed at: Philippines
amohttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/832238/philippines-among-nations-with-most-disaste
r-related-internal-displacements-in-2021-report/story/ng nations with most disaster-related internal displacements
in 2021 —report | GMA News Online (gmanetwork.com))
July 29, 2022
4:55 pm
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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 ANG PROBINSYANO
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos
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 “Accessible Evacuation
Centers Act of 2022.”
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
climactic
events,
in
recognition
of
the vulnerabilities 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.
SECTION 4. 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, structure where
hazardous materials are used and store, or high-voltage power line;
3. It must be near a health facility;
4. It must be located on a 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 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 meet at least 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 toiler 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 in 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 involved the use of collapsible amenities 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 infrastructure used as evacuation centers shall be
conducted by the City or Municipality at least once every year and immediately after
the occurrence of a hard or disaster.
SECTION 6. Role of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council. – 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 populations 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. Appropriations. – The amount of money necessary for the initial
implementation to fund the construction and maintenance of 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 or part of this Act is
declared unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain
in full force and effect.
SECTION 11. 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 12. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,