Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. 
Introduced by REP. JASON  P. ALMON TE 
EXPLAN ATORY N OTE 
Located along the typhoon belt in the Pacific, the Philippines is visited by an average of 20 
typhoons every year, five of which are destructive. Being situated in the "Pacific Ring of Fire" 
makes it vulnerable to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Its geographical location and 
physical environment also contributes to its high-susceptibility to tsunami, sea level rise, storm 
surges, landslides, flood/flashflood/flooding, and drought. 1 
For many years, when calamities strike, public schools are used as evacuation centers. In 2020, 
Super Typhoon Goni (Rolly) made landfall in the Philippines and displaced thousands of residents 
who sought refuge in 869 schools, which involved 4,367 classrooms. However, these schools are 
not equipped with facilities to cater to the needs of disaster-stricken individuals. Consequently, 
classroom equipment and essential school facilities are damaged as evacuees attempt to transform 
them into make-shift homes. In the end, the students suffer from frequent class interruptions and 
damaged school facilities. 
To strengthen emergency response and preparedness. this proposed piece of legislation seeks to 
establish standard-based evacuation centers that will serve as temporary living spaces for displaced 
or disaster-affected individuals or families. 
This significant piece oflegislation has been filed in the 18th Congress by Rep. Angelina Tan, Rep. 
Vilma Santos-Recto, Rep. Precious Hipolito, Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, Rep. Carlos Isagani 
Zarate and Rep. John Marvin Nieto and approved by the House on March 25, 2021, transmitted to 
and received by the Senate on April 12, 2021. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sou 
1 Information on Disaster Risk Reduction of the Member Countries, Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), 
adrc.asia, Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) . (Accessed 22 November 2022). 
February 6, 2023
3:40 pm
7081


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _____ 
Introduced by REP. JASON P. ALMONTE 
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:  
SEC. 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:  
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.  
7081


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;  
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  
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.  
 
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 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.  
 


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, 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.  
 
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 
annual General Appropriations Act. The LGU 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 provisions 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 in the Official 
Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.  
 
Approved,