There is a move in the House of Representatives to establish fully-equipped, fully-operational evacuation centers nationwide following the magnitude 7 earthquake that displaced over 33,000 people in northern Luzon.

Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte led the filing of House Bill (HB) No.1091, which provides for immediate and temporary accommodation for people who have been evacuated or dislocated from their homes due to emergency events such as earthquakes; typhoons, floods, storm surges, droughts, and other severe climate disturbances; fires; and disease outbreaks that present imminent danger to life and property.

“The dislocation of thousand of families as an offshoot of the magnitude 7 earthquake that jolted Abra and other parts of the north has underlined anew the urgency of establishing disaster-resilient evacuation centers for the temporary shelter of those adversely affected by the onslaught of natural calamities and disease outbreaks,” said Villafuerte, one of four authors of the measure.

"The Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and this latest earthquake have heightened the need for the construction of permanent evacuation centers in every city and municipality to ensure that evacuees have enough safe, well-ventilated, comfortable private spaces to go to during times of disasters," added the solon, who is vice president for political affairs of the National Unity Party (NUP).

The bill provides that evacuation centers shall be constructed and designed to withstand super typhoons or wind speeds of at least 300 kilometers per hour (300 kph) and earthquakes of magnitude 8.

The bill specifies that these facilities must be calamity-resilient, built with sturdy materials and in accordance with the specifications of Republic Act (RA) 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 Philippines is susceptible to natural hazards, unforeseen disasters and other calamities because of its location along the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire,’ an area where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are more recurring than in any other areas of the world,” the Bicolano and his three co-authors said.

“The country fronts the Pacific Ocean, making it vulnerable to typhoons and related weather disturbances regularly, especially at the onset of climate change," they added.

Villafuerte first proposed the construction of permanent evacuation facilities in September 2018, following the onslaught in Luzon of supertyphoon “Ompong,” which killed at least 65 people and sent over 100,000 people fleeing to evacuation centers.

Villafuerte, a former deputy speaker, filed HB No.1091 along with Camarines Sur Reps Miguel Luis Villafuerte (5th district) and Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata (1st district), and Bicol Saro Party-List Rep. Nicolas Enciso VIII.