Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino highlighted the need for provincial evacuation centers to help displaced communities during disasters.
With massive flooding and landslides affecting many areas in Bicol due to tropical cyclone Kristine, Tolentino said that provincial evacuation centers gives local governments and rescuers more options for safely relocating evacuees.
In an interview on the senator’s regular radio program, Gremil Alexis Naz, an information officer from the Office of Civil Defense in Bicol, told Tolentino that the region’s evacuation centers are actively being used in rescue and relief efforts.
Bicol is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the country due to its location, which frequently faces typhoons and has active volcanoes.
Tolentino noted that as early as 2022, he had started the construction of provincial evacuation centers in Camarines Norte (Vinzons), Camarines Sur (Pamplona), Sorsogon (Juban), Masbate (Pio V. Corpuz), and Catanduanes (Bagamanoc) through the national budget.
Several areas in Bicol are experiencing the worst flooding in years after Kristine brought heavy rainfall since Tuesday.
When Tolentino asked how soon relief operations could start, Naz said that it would depend on how fast the rains and floods subside to allow access to the roads and bridges leading to affected communities.
“Many groups are ready to extend assistance, and I encourage organizations and individuals who want to help to coordinate with our government agencies to facilitate relief efforts for our affected kababayans in Bicol,” the senator said.IMT
