SBG pushes for mandatory evac centers nationwide

DEEPLY concerned of the situation of many displaced typhoon victims such as those hit by the Tropical Storm Agaton while the country is still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go once again appealed for the passage of a measure he filed in 2019 mandating for the establishment of permanent, safe and properly equipped evacuation centers in every municipality, city and province across the country.

“Kapag dumating ang malakas na bagyo o kung anumang sakuna, sa mahihirap po talaga malakas ang epekto nito.

“Kada taon, iba’t ibang krisis ang hinaharap ng Pilipinas kaya naman dapat mabilis ang aksyon ng gobyerno upang mapaghandaan at maprotektahan ang buhay at kapakanan ng mga Pilipino,” Go earlier said.

Go has been steadfast in advocating for measures to ensure that victims of disasters will have temporary shelters that will guarantee their safety, promote their social well-being, and guard their welfare while they recover and rebuild their lives.

In 2019, he filed Senate Bill No. 1228 or the Mandatory Evacuation Center Act after observing from his frequent trips across the country to help disaster victims that the displaced residents are usually housed in tents, barangay centers, schools, plazas, gymnasiums, or basketball courts, which are not equipped with the basic necessities to help victims recover.

“Tinamaan na nga ng bagyo, nagsisiksikan pa sa temporary shelters habang may pandemya. Nakakaawa ang ating mga kababayan. Huwag na natin pahirapan ang naghihirap na. Solusyunan na dapat natin bago pa dumating ang panibagong sakuna,” Go appealed.

SBN 1228 outlines the basic minimum requirements for each mandatory evacuation center, such as its location, amenities and operation.

Just last April 15 and 16, Go and President Duterte decided to forego their Holy Week vacation and instead personally visited and handed out aid to the victims of Agaton who were temporarily staying at the Baybay City Senior High School in Leyte and at the Pontevedra Elementary School in Capiz.

Go, during the visit, noted the displaced victims are not staying at dedicated evacuation centers envisioned under his proposal.

“When disaster strikes, the Filipinos, especially ‘yung mga underprivileged, suffer. In most instances, this disaster renders their homes unlivable, leaving the victims without roofs. Ibig sabihin nasisira ang mga bahay, marami pong apektado,” Go observed.

“Minsan po, ‘di nagagamit ang mga paaralan kapag ginagamit ang mga eskwelahan (bilang evacuation centers)… Kaya panahon na po magkaroon tayo ng evacuation center sa bawat bayan,” he reiterated.

The senator also echoed the calls of other lawmakers to ensure that there will be sturdy, typhoon-resilient, and climate change-adaptive evacuation centers located at distances which are safe from waters and landslide-prone areas in every two to three contiguous barangays.

Go’s SBN 1228 is still pending in the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation together with SBN 205, which he also filed in 2019 to establish a Department of Disaster Resilience. The committee is chaired by Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

He once again cautioned that the Philippines is visited by an average of 20 typhoons every year, five of which are destructive so the government must always be a step ahead to save more lives once disaster strikes.

“Nakita naman natin ang matinding pangangailangan para sa mga evacuation centers na magsisilbing panandaliang tahanan ng mga Pilipino sa tuwing may bagyo o anumang natural disaster. Huwag nating antayin na may panibagong sakuna pang dumating. Umaksyon na tayo dapat para maprotektahan lalo ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino,” he stressed.

More than two million persons have been affected by the Tropical Storm Agaton, according to the report released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on April 18, 2022.

Of the total, 346,602 have been displaced and 158,602 are still staying in evacuation centers. At least 28 schools in Regions VI and VIII are also currently being used as evacuation centers.