Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas on Monday, Dec. 27 reiterated his appeal for Senate action on bills proposing the establishment of permanent evacuation centers amid the recent devastation caused by typhoon Odette.
Vargas is the principal author of House Bill 8990 or An Act Establishing Evacuation Centers in Every City and Municipality that was approved by the House of Representatives and now awaiting Senate action.
Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. filed separately similar bills, with the former’s legislative proposal being referred to the House Committee on National Defense as the principal committee in 2019.
“The loss to lives and property in the Visayas and Mindanao should be seen as a wake up call for us in Congress to be pro-active in our legislation,” said Vargas, chairman of the House Committee on Social Services.
“Climate change is a reality we can no longer deny or ignore, and like the rest of the world, governments are taking measures to protect the vulnerable sectors from its worst effects. It’s about time we step up to the challenge,” he added.
Vargas said setting up evacuations centers that are climate resilient, located in safe zones, and equipped with needed amenities “offers a long-term solution to the crisis conditions in communities severely affected by increasingly powerful typhoons.”
“Disaster response and climate mitigation should be priority issues for Congress considering that the Philippines has been identified as one of the countries vulnerable to the impact of climate change,” he said.
Among other provisions, the Vargas bill mandates the construction and maintenance of evacuation centers in all cities and municipalities, with Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR) tasked with identifying the sites based on specific provisions and standards in the bill.
The centers must provide “safe and humane” accommodations for evacuees, with sleeping quarters and separate toilet and shower areas for male and female evacuees, kitchen and food preparation areas, trash segregation and waste collection areas, among others. The centers must also be well-ventilated and accessible to persons with disabilities (PWDs).
As of December 26, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported over 313,000 families currently staying in various evacuation centers.
The total number of families affected by Odette has increased to over one million, or over four million individuals from 5,985 barangays.
Severely affected by Odette are MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga.