Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Eighteenth Congress
First Regular Session

5995

HOUSE BILL NO. .

Introduced by Representative RANEO E. ABU
Second District, Batangas

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A MANDATORY EVACUATION CENTER IN ALL CITIES,
PROVINCES AND MUNICIPALITIES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article II, Section 5 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that “{t]he
maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty, and property, and
promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of
the blessings of democracy.”

The Philippines is highly vulnerable to natural hazards, attributed primarily to
the country’s location. The country is positioned along the so-called “Pacific Ring of
Fire,” an area where earthquakes and volcanic activities are more frequent than in
any other part of the world. Further, the country fronts the Pacific Ocean, exposing it
to a high number of typhoons and related weather disturbances annually; with the
onset of climate change, these extreme disturbances will only serve to drastically
increase the severity of natural disasters.

When these disasters strike, the Filipinos, especially the underprivileged, suffer
the most. In most instances, these disasters render their homes unlivable, leaving the
victims without roofs above their heads and food on their plates. Hence, it is high time
that the State establish evacuation centers in all cities, provinces, and municipalities
which will cater to the basic needs of the victims of these disasters and provide them


temporary shelters that will guarantee their safety, promote their social wellbeing, and
guard their welfare while they recover and rebuild their homes and their lives.

The construction and maintenance of evacuation centers in all localities shall
be in implemented by a coordinated Department of Public Works and Highways, the
LGUs concerned, and other line agencies. This will strengthen preparation and

improve response capacity for future disasters.

In view of the foregoing, the approval of this measure is earnestly sought.

NEO E. ABU


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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Eighteenth Congress
First Regular Session

- §995
HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representative RANEO E. ABU
Second District, Batangas

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A MANDATORY EVACUATION CENTER IN ALL CITIES,
PROVINCES AND MUNICIPALITIES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

Section 1. Title of the Act. - This Act shall be known as the “Mandatory
Evacuation Center Act of 2019.”

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. — \t is hereby declared the policy of the State to
protect the people's right to life and property that is rooted and embedded in our
Constitution, and to promote their general welfare. It is for this reason that the
establishment of an evacuation center shall be undertaken in all cities, provinces, and
municipalities to address the vulnerability of the Philippines to the impacts of climate
change and other human-made disasters. This is also to strengthen the country’s
institutional capacity for building the resilience of local communities to adhere and
adopt the universal standards of humanitarian assistance.

Sec. 3. Establishment/Construction of Evacuation Centers. — There shall be an
established evacuation center in every city, province and municipality throughout the
country which shall provide basic needs and assistance to all evacuees, and shall serve
as their temporary shelter that will guarantee the safety and wellbeing of all who have
become victims of natural calamities or any other hazards/emergency events such as,


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typhoons, floods, fire, storm surges, weather disturbances and outbreak of
illnesses/diseases that may cause imminent danger to their life and property.

Sec. 4 Evacuation Center Requirements. — The following shall be the minimum
requirements for every evacuation center that will be established under this Act:

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:

a. It must be centrally located in the community;

b. It must be of a safe distance from large trees, structures where hazardous
materials are used and/or stored, or high-voltage power lines;

c. It must be near a health facility;

d. It must be located on geotechnical stable land to avoid risk of landslides
and/or exposure to potential landslide of adjacent lands;

e. 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.

Structural/Building Capacity - The evacuation centers shall be constructed and
designed to withstand super typhoons or wind speeds of at least three hundred (300)
kilometers per hour and seismic activity of at least 8.0 magnitude. Evacuation centers
should be calamity-resilient, be built with sturdy materials, and be built in accordance
with the specifications of Republic Act No. 6541, otherwise known as the “National
Building Code of the Philippines” and should be at par with the standards set by the
International Building Code.


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The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) shall be in charge of
the construction of evacuation centers and formulating the building specifications
therefor based on standards, issuances, and other guidelines set by the DPWH.

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 years.

The structural capacity should at least meet the following parameters:

a. The structure must be elevated in such a manner that it will withstand likely
impact from a high tide storm surge level of at least ten (10) meters;

b. 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

c. The structure shall not be less than nine (9) meters in height and designed
in accordance with earthquake load standards.

Amenities and Accessibility of the Evacuation Center — The evacuation centers
shall be well-ventilated and shall have the capacity to accommodate a large number
of evacuees. The centers shall have the following minimum amenities:

a. Sleeping quarters for the evacuees;

b. Separate Shower and toilet facilities designated for males and females, with
a facility-to-user ratio of 1:20 persons;

c. Amenities to enable access thereto by and accommodation of the disabled;


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d. Provisions for emergency/exit doors;

e. Food preparation areas which are provided with adequate ventilation;

f. Trash and waste segregation and collection areas;

g. Health care areas which shall include an isolation and/or quarantine area
for potentially infectious persons;

h. Rainwater harvesting and collection facilities; and

i. Other facilities prescribed in DSWD-DILG-DOH-DepED Joint Memorandum
Circular No. 1 Series of 2013, entitled “Guidelines on Evacuation Center and
Management.”

Sec. 5. Operations and Management of the Evacuation Center. - 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 the proper use and maintenance of the
evacuation centers.

The mandatory audit of infrastructures used as evacuation centers shall be
conducted by Provincial/City/Municipal Engineer and/or the building official at least
once every year and immediately after the occurrence of a hazard or disaster event.

Sec. 6. Role of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
— The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), or its
successor, shall be the primary lead agency which shall oversee the implementation
of this act.


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Sec. 7. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to fund the construction and
maintenance of evacuation centers under this Act shall be sourced from a portion of
the general appropriations of the DPWH. Every year thereafter, the amounts
necessary for the construction and maintenance of evacuation centers shall be
included in the list of programs as part of annual budget in the General Appropriations
Act.

The appropriations necessary for the operation and management of the
evacuation centers shall be charged against the funds of the Local Disaster Risk
Reduction & Management Council (LDRRMC), or its successor.

Sec. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within ninety days (90) after
the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Local Interior and Local Government
(DILG) and the DPWH, in coordination with the appropriate government agencies
concerned, shall formulate the necessary rules and regulations necessary to carry out
the objectives of this Act.

Sec. 8. Separability Clause. — If any provision of this Act is held invalid or
unconstitutional, other provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force
and effect.

Sec. 9. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders, or parts thereof
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified
accordingly.

Sec. 10. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
complete publication in the Official Gazette or at least two (2) national newspapers of
general circulation.

Approved,