SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian described the signing of a law that seeks the establishment of permanent evacuation centers in all cities and municipalities as a development that he hopes would end the practice of using schools as temporary shelters during emergencies.

Under the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act or Republic Act No. 12076, evacuation centers shall be strategically located in the community at a safe distance from danger areas or hazards.

These evacuation centers shall provide immediate and temporary accommodation for people displaced from their homes due to human-induced or natural disasters and emergencies such as typhoons, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, fires, and outbreaks of disease, among others.

Gatchalian has been calling for the enactment of the measure since his first term as senator. He first filed the proposed measure in 2016 during the 17th Congress and refiled it in 2019 during the 18th Congress.

To ensure that evacuation centers are disaster-resilient, they should be able to withstand wind speeds of at least 300 kilometers per hour and seismic activity of at least 8.0 magnitude.

The law also enumerates the facilities that should be present in each evacuation center, including sleeping quarters for evacuees, health care areas, and women- and child-friendly spaces, among others.

According to Gatchalian, constructing evacuation centers in cities and municipalities nationwide will help local government units ensure the safety of their constituents in times of emergencies. He also recalled that the use of schools as temporary evacuation centers further disrupts the safe resumption of classes.

“Ngayong pwede na nating patayuan ang bawat lungsod at munisipalidad ng evacuation center, mas matitiyak natin ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan sa panahon ng mga sakuna. Dahil sa Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, darating ang araw na hindi na tayo gagamit ng mga classroom bilang evacuation center,” said Gatchalian.