Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINTEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by HON. JOSEPH “JOJO” L. LARA 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
For the past years, the Philippines has experienced various natural and man-made 
calamites that involved the need to use evacuation centers. From earthquakes to 
volcanic eruptions, to typhoons, and storm surges, massive fires – all of which entailed 
the need to evacuate people to safety and often, our public schools become the 
temporary facility for such purpose.  
Albeit temporary, the said tradition of using schools create other sets of problems. 
From lack of appropriate sleeping spaces to lack of bathrooms, kitchen areas and other 
such facilities. School schedules also get disrupted affecting our students and teachers 
alike. 
This bill seeks to create permanent evacuation facilities which will be used during 
natural or man-made disasters or calamities. The said facilities will be equipped to 
handle large numbers of people with designated sleeping quarters, bathrooms, toilets, 
and clinics. They will provide our evacuees a more comfortable and livable place in 
which to temporarily stay. 
The creation of these multi-purpose centers will empower all provinces since they will 
have a properly built and equipped center for evacuation purposes and will no longer 
rely on schools for the said purpose. Thus, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
JOSEPH “JOJO” L. LARA 
August 1, 2022
5:12 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by HON. JOSEPH “JOJO” L. LARA 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
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. 
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 government unit concerned. 
SECTION 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. The location shall be
determined based on the following criteria:
1. It must be centrally located in the community;
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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. 
 
 
SECTION 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. 
 
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; (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 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 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 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,