.n r'* '•»- ,
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S. B. No
]
SENATE
I M
S enate
^ . '- . ^ ’^ d C ic r  of till' ^ 'f c r r tn r j r
•19 
JUL 24 All S6
RELi
Introduced by SEN. SHERWIN T. GATCHALIAN
AN ACT ESTABLISHING EVACUATION CENTERS IN EVERY MUNICIPALITY 
AND CITY, PROVIDING FOR THE NECESSARY FACILITIES, ENSURING 
THEIR STRUCTURAL CAPACITY, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This 
bill 
seeks 
to 
establish 
an 
evacuation 
center 
in 
every 
municipality 
and 
city 
in 
the 
country 
and 
to 
ensure 
the 
structural 
capacity of evacuation centers.
The 
Philippines 
has 
been frequently 
affected 
by 
climate-related
weather events in recent years which have damaged property and caused 
the 
loss of many 
lives. 
More 
intense typhoons, 
higher sea 
levels, 
and 
storm 
surges 
have 
affected a 
great 
number of 
the 
population. 
Coastal
communities 
and 
informal 
settlements 
in 
urban 
areas 
are 
the 
most 
vulnerable 
to 
floods 
in 
times 
of 
weather 
disturbances. 
Every 
time 
a 
typhoon 
hits the country or when 
monsoon 
rains cause heavy flooding, 
many 
people 
are 
displaced and 
need 
to 
be relocated 
to 
evacuation
centers. The importance of a 
permanent and fully operational evacuation 
center with the necessary facilities in place cannot be disregarded during 
a 
calamity, 
whether 
natural or 
human-induced, or 
in 
times 
of 
armed


conflict when residents of a community need to be relocated.
In 
the 
Philippines, 
it 
is 
a 
common 
practice 
to 
use 
schools 
as 
evacuation centers in times of calamities which causes the disruption of 
school 
activities. 
Hence, 
this 
bill 
proposes 
to 
establish 
an 
evacuation 
center 
in 
every 
municipality 
and 
city 
with 
priority 
given 
to 
the 
local 
government 
units 
with 
the 
most 
vulnerable 
communities 
and 
with 
less 
secure infrastructure. This 
measure also 
emphasizes the 
need to ensure 
the structural capacity of existing evacuation centers and those that will 
be constructed in the future. It is imperative that strict compliance with 
the National Building Code of the Philippines is observed and that inputs 
of structural 
engineers 
are 
integrated 
into 
the 
design 
and 
specifications 
of evacuation centers to ensure that it can withstand climatic and other 
hazards.
It 
is 
also 
recognized 
that 
building 
an 
evacuation 
center 
for 
all 
municipalities 
and 
cities 
at 
the 
same 
time 
is 
not 
feasible. 
Under 
this 
measure, 
the 
NDRRMC 
is 
mandated 
to 
determine 
which 
municipalities 
and cities will be given priority and he provided with a new evacuation 
center. 
In order to ease the pressure on classrooms of schools already 
utilized 
as 
evacuation 
centers, 
constructing 
additional 
facilities 
in 
these 
schools is also an option in areas where it will be difficult to have a new 
evacuation center.
The 
establishment 
of 
permanent 
evacuation centers 
with 
the
necessary 
facilities 
will 
address 
the 
issues 
encountered 
by 
evacuees 
including 
congestion, 
exposure 
to 
hazards 
and 
lack 
of facilities. 
It 
will 
also 
enhance 
the 
delivery 
of social 
services 
during 
calamities 
and 
help 
minimize the loss of lives.


In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly requested.
T. GATCHALIAN


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S. B. No
SENATE
747
^ euatp 
of 11)0 gfiT O ftarf
■19 JU'- 24 All 56
Rl.
Introduced by SEN. SHERWIN T. GATCHALIAN
AN ACT ESTABLISHING EVACUATION CENTERS IN EVERY 
MUNICIPALITY AND CITY, PROVIDING FOR THE NECESSARY 
FACILITIES, ENSURING THEIR STRUCTURAL CAPACITY, AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House o f Representatives o f the 
Philippines in Congress assembled:
1 
SEC. 1. 
Short 
Title. 
- This 
Act 
shall 
be 
known 
as 
the
2 
"Evacuation Center Act."
3 
SEC. 2. 
Declaration o f Policy. 
- This Act 
recognizes 
the
4 
constitutional right of the people for the protection of their life and their
5 
property and the promotion of their general welfare. Towards this end,
6 
the State, in recognition of the vulnerability of the Philippines to climate
7 
change, the occurrence of severe floods, typhoons, and other natural or
8 
human-induced 
disasters, 
illnesses, 
diseases 
and 
other 
factors 
that
9 
affect the environment, shall institutionalize the governments' effort to
10 
establish and maintain fully equipped and fully-operational evacuation
11 
centers and provide the necessary facilities to sites used as evacuation
12 
centers to make them responsive to environmental or climatic events.
13 
Furthermore, it shall be the continuing policy of the State to
14 
provide the appropriate facilities for evacuees in evacuation centers and
15 
to ensure the structural capacity of evacuation centers.
1


1 
SEC. 3. Establishment o f Evacuation Centers. -There shall be
2 
established an evacuation center in every city and municipality in the
3 
Philippines 
which 
shall 
provide 
immediate 
and 
temporary
4 
accommodation for people who have been evacuated or displaced from
5 
their homes due to emergency events such as typhoons, floods, storm
6 
surges, drought and other severe climate disturbances, as well as fire, and
7 
the 
outbreak 
of 
illnesses 
and 
diseases 
that 
presents 
imminent
8 
danger to life and property.
9 
SEC. 4. Facility Requirements. - The following shall be the
10 
minimum 
requirements 
for 
every 
evacuation 
center 
that 
will 
be
11 
established under this Act:
12 
a) Location - The evacuation center should not be at risk of
13 
isolation. It should be located at a safe distance from danger areas or
14 
hazards. The Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
15 
(LDRRMC) of the local government unit (LGU) concerned shall coordinate
16 
with 
the 
Department 
of 
Environment 
and 
Natural 
Resources 
to
17 
determine the appropriate location of the evacuation center.
18 
The following shall be considered in identifying an ideal site for an
19 
evacuation center:
20 
1) Drainage;
21 
2) Elevation;
22 
3) Protection from strong winds;
23 
4) Accessibility 
to 
and 
proximity 
from 
the 
vulnerable
24 
community;
25 
5) Availability of the following in the immediate vicinity:
26 
i) Parking areas for emergency and other vehicles;
27 
ii) Allocated area for additional portable toilets;
28 
iii) Storage tanks for potable and non-potable water; and
29 
iv) Safe shelter for livestock.
30
31 
b) Structural Capacity - New evacuation centers and improvements in
32 
schools used as an evacuation center which will be constructed after the


1 
effectivity of this Act must be made of construction materials which are in
2 
accordance with the specifications of Republic Act No. 6541, otherwise
3 
known as the "National Building Code o f the Philippines," and be able to
4 
withstand wind speeds of three hundred twenty (320) kilometers per hour or
5 
two hundred (200) miles per hour and moderate seismic activity of at least
6 
7.2 magnitude.
7 
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) shall be
8 
responsible in formulating the appropriate specifications for evacuation
9 
centers and to ensure compliance with these specifications during 
the
10 
construction 
of 
evacuation 
centers. The 
specifications 
shall 
be
11 
periodically reviewed and, if necessary, revised by the DPWH every three
12 
years.
13 
c) Suitability and Capacity o f Premises - If the building is not
14 
primarily a shelter or permanent site as an evacuation center, considerations
15 
should 
be 
made 
on 
its 
impact to 
normal 
business 
if 
its
16 
operation as an evacuation center is prolonged or its normal function is
17 
taken off for an extended period of time.
18 
The number and diversity of evacuees as well as public health and
19 
safety concerns should be considered in the suitability of the premises.
20 
It must likewise be able to provide electricity, back-up power
21 
supply, water, sewerage system, solid waste management, and physical
22 
mobility for people with mobility aids.
23 
d) Physical Amenities - The evacuation and relief center should
24 
be able to provide the following minimum facilities:
25 
1) Sleeping area;
26 
2) Eating area;
27 
3) Shower 
and 
toilet 
facilities 
which 
should 
accommodate
28 
twenty (20) people per shower or toilet room, and should be
29 
utilized according to gender;
30 
4) Kitchen or food preparation area;
31 
5) Trash collection area;
32 
6) Clinic 
area 
including 
an 
isolation 
area 
for 
potentially


1 
infectious people;
2 
7) Laundry area;
3 
8) Recreation area; and
4 
9) Pet and livestock holding area.
5 
e) Food Safety - Kitchen and dining facilities should be able to
6 
cater for the number of people in the evacuation center. Food preparation
7 
and storage facilities should comply with satisfactory standards of the
8 
Department of Health on cleanliness to 
minimize the 
potential for
9 
contamination and invasion of insects and pests.
10 
SEC. 5. Priority in the Establishment o f Evacuation Centers. -
11 
The 
NDRRMC 
shall, 
in 
coordination 
with 
local 
chief executives 
of
12 
provinces, 
cities, 
and 
municipalities, 
identify areas to 
be given the
13 
highest priority in the establishment of new evacuation centers.
14 
Upon determination by the NDRRMC and the chief executives of
15 
LGUs, 
the 
NDRRMC 
shall 
make 
a 
priority 
list 
of 
LGUs 
needing
16 
evacuation centers. The frequency of occurrence of calamities, whether
17 
natural or human-induced, and the number of displaced persons in the
18 
LOU during said calamities in the past three years may be considered in
19 
coming up with the priority list.
20 
SEC. 6. Im provem ent o f Schools or Structures Used as
21 
Evacuation Centers. - When an LGU is included in the priority list of
22 
LGUs which need an evacuation center pursuant to Section 5 of this Act
23 
and there is no available site where the government can construct a new
24 
evacuation center, the NDRRMC may instead consider the improvement
25 
of facilities 
in 
schools 
or other structures 
already 
being 
used 
as
26 
evacuation center by the LOU to make it comply with the provisions of
27 
Section 4 of this Act, particularly on the requirement on location and
28 
structural capacity.
29 
SEC. 7. Role o f the National Disaster Risk Reduction and
30 
Management Council. - The National Disaster Risk Reduction and
31 
Management 
Council 
(NDRRMC) 
shall 
be 
the 
lead 
agency 
in
32 
implementing this Act. It shall ensure that the requirements of this Act


1 
are faithfully complied with.
2 
SEC. 8. Coordination Among Agencies. - The NDRRMC shall
3 
coordinate with 
the 
DPWH 
and 
the 
Department 
of 
Science 
and
4 
Technology with 
regard the design specifications, cost estimates and
5 
construction details of new evacuation centers that will be constructed
6 
pursuant to this Act.
7 
All government agencies and instrumentalities, when necessary,
8 
shall provide assistance to the NDRRMC to ensure the effective and
9 
efficient implementation of this Act.
10 
SEC. 9. Operation and Maintenance o f Evacuation Centers. -
11 
The operation and management of evacuation centers shall be under the
12 
auspices of the 
LGU where the evacuation center is situated while the
13 
DPWH shall be charged with the maintenance of evacuation centers that
14 
will be constructed under this Act.
15 
The local Sanggunian shall promulgate guidelines and procedures
16 
for the 
use 
and 
operation 
of 
the 
evacuation centers 
under their
17 
jurisdiction. The 
guidelines shall include provisions on the use of the
18 
evacuation center when it is not being utilized as an evacuation center
19 
including its utilization as a classroom, livelihood center, youth center,
20 
or multi-purpose center to benefit the constituents of the LGU.
21 
The Department of Education shall be charged with maintaining
22 
the 
additional 
facilities 
of 
schools 
which 
will 
be 
constructed 
in
23 
accordance with Section 6 of this Act.
24 
SEC. 
10. Appropriations. 
- The 
amount necessary for the
25 
implementation of this Act shall be charged to the appropriations of the
26 
Department of Public Works and Highways with respect to the construction
27 
and maintenance of new evacuation centers. For this purpose, the DPWH
28 
shall include in its programs and annual 
budget the maintenance of
29 
evacuation centers constructed under this Act.
30 
The amount necessary for the operation of the evacuation centers
31 
shall be charged to the funds of the LDRRMC.
32 
The 
construction 
and 
maintenance 
of 
additional 
facilities 
for


1 
schools already used as evacuation centers shall be charged to the
2 
appropriations 
for 
the 
Department 
of 
Education. 
Thereafter, 
such
3 
amount 
needed 
by 
the 
concerned 
Department 
for 
the 
continued
4 
implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General
5 
Appropriations Act.
6 
SEC. 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this
7 
Act 
is 
declared 
invalid 
or 
unconstitutional, 
the 
remaining 
parts 
or
8 
provisions not affected shall remain in full force and effect.
9 
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules
10 
and 
regulations, and other issuances inconsistent with this Act are
11 
hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
12 
SEC. 13. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
13 
days after publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general
14 
circulation.
Approved,