Amid the onslaught of Typhoon Carina, Senator Win Gatchalian has raised the need to construct dedicated evacuation centers to stop the use of school buildings as evacuation centers.
Gatchalian lamented that the long-standing practice of using schools as evacuation centers during typhoons and other calamities disrupts learning continuity.
“Dahil madalas tayong nakakaranas ng mga kalamidad tulad ng bagyo at baha, mahalagang tiyakin natin ang kahandaan ng ating bansang rumesponde, kabilang ang pagbibigay ng pansamantalang tirahan sa mga nasalanta. Bahagi ng pagpapaigting ng ating kakayahang rumesponde sa mga kalamidad ang pagkakaroon ng mga evacuation center, at napapanahon nang simulan natin ang pagpapatayo sa bawat lungsod at munisipalidad,” the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education said.
He is also one of the co-authors of Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2451 or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, which seeks to establish evacuation centers in all cities and municipalities nationwide.
Under SBN 2451, these evacuation centers shall provide immediate and temporary evacuation for people displaced by human-induced disasters, calamities, or emergencies such as floods, typhoons, earthquakes, fire, and the outbreak of diseases, among others.
They should also withstand super typhoons or wind speeds at least 300 kilometers per hour and seismic activity of at least 8.0 magnitude, the proposal stated.IMT
Photo by RMN-Iloilo
