Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. HARRIS CHRISTOPHER M. ONGCHUAN 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines is geographically situated within The Ring of Fire. Also 
referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt, it is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized 
by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Majority of earthquakes take place 
along the Ring of Fire. 
Likewise, the Philippines is susceptible to tropical cyclones due to its 
geographical location which generally produce heavy rains and flooding of large areas 
and also strong winds which result in heavy casualties to human life and destruction 
to properties. 
Given these inevitable natural catastrophes, their unpredictable occurrences 
create a devastating effect in the lives of our countrymen, especially the 
underprivileged. It is therefore imperative for the State to build more disaster-resilient 
communities to minimize the effects of these disasters on the affected areas. 
In this regard, it is the very purpose of this measure to establish a mandatory 
standard-based evacuation center in every city and municipality in the country so as 
to ensure that affected families have access to safe and comfortable shelters in times 
of natural calamity, including man-made disasters. 
This bill was filed in the 18th Congress by Representatives Tan, Olivarez, and 
Salimbangon. It was approved by the House and was transmitted to the Senate. 
In view of the foregoing, passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
 HARRIS CHRISTOPHER M. ONGCHUAN 
August 30, 2022
8:02 pm
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 Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _________ 
Introduced by Representative 
HARRIS CHRISTOPHER M. ONGCHUAN 
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 climatic disturbances, as well as fire, and the outbreak of 
illnesses and diseases that present imminent danger to life and property. 
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 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 landslides 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 specification 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 are in accordance with the above-
mentioned 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 centers 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 entities:  
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. Operations 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 centers 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 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 local 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 a Memorandum 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 the 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 specification, 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 charges against the budget provided for this purpose under the 
DPWH. Thereafter, such amounts necessary for the construction of multi-purpose 
gym as evacuation centers shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act 
(GAA). The LGU concerned shall provide the continued maintenance, operations, and 
management of the facility.  
SEC. 9. Separability Clause. — If any part or provision of this Act shall be held 
unconstitutional or invalid, other provisions thereof which are not affected shall 
continue to be in full force and effect. 


SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. — All laws, rules, and regulations, presidential decrees, 
letters of instruction and other presidential issuances which are incompatible or 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified 
accordingly. 
SEC. 11. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in at least one (1) newspaper of general circulation, whichever 
comes earlier.  
 
Approved.