By Charissa Luci-Atienza Makabayan lawmakers are calling for the immediate passage of a bill seeking the establishment of permanent evacuation centers in the country. Kabataan partylist Rep. Sarah Jane Elago and Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Ferdinand Gaite (MANILA BULLETIN) Kabataan partylist Rep. Sarah Jane Elago and Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Ferdinand Gaite urged their colleagues to shepherd the approval of the proposed construction of evacuation centers nationwide, as typhoon "Tisoy" left hundreds of families homeless from coastal villages in Albay. "The Makabayan bloc is seeking a funding allocation for the construction of permanent evacuation centers nationwide. Because as of now, we are using schools and barangay halls to house displaced families," Elago said in an interview. "It is about time to establish government evacuation centers, considering the country's vulnerability to natural calamities," she pointed out. She also proposed that the Office of the President's P4.5 billion intelligence funds be allocated to the housing needs of earthquake and typhoon victims. "We are appealing and challenging the bicameral conference committee to transfer these funds to our new Department of Human Settlements and Urban Planning to benefit the earthquake and typhoon victims who lost their homes, " Elago said. For his part, Gaite cited the urgency to pass the Makabayan's House Bill No. 5259 seeking to establish in every two to three contiguous barangays a permanent evacuation center (PEC) to accommodate the target population. Under the measure, the PEC is mandated to serve as the central disaster risk reduction management institution per respective communities. "This measure should be enacted into law. We need typhoon-proof evacuation centers," he said, citing that every year, at least 20 typhoons visit the country. "It is about time for Congress to prioritize the passage of this bill," Gaite said. Last month, the House Committee on Disaster Management, chaired by Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres Gomez, created a technical working group (TWG) that would consolidate seven measures on the proposed construction of evacuation centers nationwide. CWS partylist Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. has been designated to head the TWG. The formation of the TWG was made after members of the panel voiced out concern that schools should not become evacuation centers every time there are calamities or disasters, as this would prevent schools from immediately resuming regular operations once the situation normalizes. During the panel's hearing last month, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said for next year, it proposed P3.74 billion for the construction of six evacuation centers per region for the country's 15 regions, excluding the National Capital Region (NCR). The information was relayed to the panel by Planning and Programming Division Chief Dominador Aquino of the Bureau of Maintenance of the DPWH. Aquino said the NCR was excluded in the list of 15 regions where evacuation centers will be constructed because it failed to meet the 3,000-square meter minimum land area requirement for an evacuation center. With this, Momo asked the DPWH to have an alternative design for evacuation centers in regions that are unable to meet the minimum land area requirement. Aquino also told the panel that since 2016, 197 evacuation centers have been constructed.