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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
1st Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representatives PAOLO Z. DUTERTE and ERIC G. YAP 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Philippines is a disaster-prone country. Apart from being eighth (8th) in the Most at 
Risk Disaster Countries in the 2019 World Risk Index, the Philippines is also situated 
in the Pacific’s earthquake and volcano Ring of Fire which results to a regularity in 
the strike of earthquakes and tsunamis in the country. Moreover, 20 to 25 typhoons 
pass the country within a year.  
After the strongest typhoon ever recorded in history, the supertyphoon Yolanda, 
landed in country in 2013 and wreaked havoc to thousands of families and billions-
worth of properties, the need for a safe, responsive, and disaster-resilient communities 
becomes evident. A critical component of this strategy is the establishment of 
evacuation centers, which serve as the first line of defense and a place of refuge during 
disasters.  
In times of calamities, armed conflicts, and emergencies, it has been a norm that 
schools and municipal halls and gymnasiums serve as evacuation centers. These 
establishments are not well-equipped with facilities that are appropriate to the needs 
of the evacuees such as proper sleeping quarters, recreational areas, and bathrooms. 
To add to that is the burden in the routine of those who are originally using the 
building (i.e. students whose academic calendar are disrupted due to unavailability 
of their school buildings).  
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In this regard, this bill seeks to establish 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, thereby creating a more disaster resilient communities. 
 
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
 
 
PAOLO Z. DUTERTE  
 
 
 
ERIC G. YAP 
 
 
 
 
 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
1st Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representatives PAOLO Z. DUTERTE and ERIC G. YAP 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING 
EVACUATION 
CENTERS 
IN 
EVERY 
CITY 
AND 
MUNICIPALITY, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and 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 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.
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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 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. 


 
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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 


 
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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. 


 
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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,