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NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) i
ia

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.p.no, 3474

Introduced by Rep. Reynante U. Arrogancia

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to establish an evacuation center in every city and municipality in the
country which shall provide immediate and temporary accommodation for evacuees or
displaced families.

Based on the Department of Education's Enhanced Basie Education Information
System (EBEIS) data from 2009 to 2019, 39,956 schools experienced tropical cyclones and
26.21 schools experienced flooding,’ Although this is the case, schools have traditionally been
used as temporary shelters and evacuation centers for displaced families in times of calamities,
disasters, conflicts and emergencies. Schools are not designed to handle disaster preparedness
and response measures. The Department of Education has earlier called for a discontinuance
in using schools as evacuation centers in order to ensure the continuity of education even in the
worst calamity situations? A permanent and nearby recourse for evacuation would
immediately help the calamity-stricken individuals and would put an end to the disruption of
classes in times of calamities and natural or man-made disasters.

Located along the Pacific typhoon belt, an average of 20 tropical cyclones traverses the
country’s area of respon: each year. In the 3rd District of Quezon Province alone. at
least ten (10) out of twelve (12) municipalities were affected with typhoons from 2019 to 2021.
causing distress to an estimated 435,187 constituents*.

The construction of evacuation centers in the country’s 146 cities and 1.488
municipalities* will not only serve as refuge centers but can also be a storehouse for disaster
rescue equipment and emergency supplies. It must be designed to have space that can be used
flexibly for social activities, sporting events and as sleeping quarters during the evacuation, It

‘must be well-ventilated with ample bathing and sanitation faci



Accessible evacuation centers to the populace, it shall minimize the loss of lives and
address the need to establish and maintain a standard-based relief shelters and sites with the
end in view of decongesting temporary evacuation centers in public schools.

‘This bill has been filed in the 16" and 17" Congress and had its success in the legislative
mill in the 18" Congress and this representation hopes that in the 19" Congress, it will finally
become a law.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate approval of this bill is earnestly fought.

REYNANTE U. ARROGANCIA

3" District of Quezon


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

HB.No. 3174

Introduced by Rep. Reynante U. Arrogancia

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 environment 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 nesses, 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
jurbances, 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 Local Government Units (LGUs) concerned.


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‘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 risks of landslides or
exposures 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
sters 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 Icast 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:

The structure must be 1um of one (1) meter above the average flood level

in the area where the same shall be built; and

3. The structure shali 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 shail have the following minimum amenities:
I. Sleeping quarters for the evacuees;



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2. Separate shower and toilet facilities designated for males and females, with one
(1) facitity for every twenty (20) persons;

Amenities to enable access thereto by persons with disab
Emergency exit doors:

Food preparation areas with adequate ventilation;

Trash and waste segregation and collection areas;

Health care areas which shall include an isolation or quarantine area for
ly infectious persons;
8. Rainwater harvesting and collection facilities; and
9. Other facilities as may be prescribed by the appropriate authorities.

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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 ofthe 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 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 concemed 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 fa



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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
Act, the NDRRMC shail, 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. I. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation,

Approved.