December 7, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos signed yesterday a law mandating the establishment of fully equipped evacuation centers nationwide and another providing a moratorium on the payment of school loans for students in areas declared under a state of calamity.
Republic Act 12076 or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act directs the establishment of evacuation centers across the country to provide secure, temporary accommodation to disaster-affected residents.
“We need to ensure that the evacuation centers sufficiently respond to the needs of our people affected by calamities and other such emergencies,” Marcos said during the ceremonial signing of the law at Malacañang.
Marcos said RA 12076 would address the long-standing issue of schools being used as evacuation centers, which hampers their primary purpose of fostering learning and creativity.
The President ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to ensure timely construction of evacuation centers in priority local government units, adhering to the National Building Code and local requirements.
The evacuation centers will be strategically located at safe distances from danger areas, guided by geohazard maps from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
The centers must also adhere to stringent standards, including the ability to withstand wind speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, seismic activity up to 8.0 magnitude and must be well-ventilated with essential facilities, such as sleeping quarters, separate shower areas, kitchens, health care spaces and recreational areas.
Currently, the Department of Education (DepEd) allows public schools to serve as evacuation centers only for 15 days “as a last resort.”
Speaking about his years long advocacy, Sen. Bong Go emphasized the need for dedicated facilities to provide refuge for disaster-affected communities, ensuring that evacuees will no longer have to endure inadequate, temporary shelters.
“I have long fought for having these kind of evacuation centers,” Go said.
He recalled his extensive travels to disaster-stricken areas, witnessing firsthand the plight of evacuees forced to shelter in unsuitable locations such as schools, gymnasiums, and basketball courts.
He stressed how these setups often result in further hardships for displaced families, including disrupted education for children and unsanitary living conditions.
As the nation faces increasing threats from climate change and natural disasters, Go’s push for mandatory evacuation centers and enhanced disaster resilience remains a cornerstone of his legislative agenda.
With the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act now a reality, he expressed hope that no Filipino would have to endure unsafe and unsanitary conditions during emergencies.
The President also signed RA 12077 or the Student Loan Payment Moratorium During Disasters and Emergencies Act allowing the deferment of payments of loans or obligations for students in areas declared under a state of calamity without penalty and interest.
The obligations include those administered by higher education institutions, technical-vocational institutions, the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education or UniFAST Board, the Commission on Higher Education or any other government agency or instrumentality.
“The benevolence of this law allows the disaster-affected students and their families to have a breathing space as they recuperate and rebuild their lives. It is our hope that this law will help lessen the financial burden off our students’ shoulders as they continue their schooling,” the President said.
Meanwhile, DepEd welcomed the enactment of the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, saying the new law is expected to eliminate the reliance on public school facilities as temporary evacuation centers for victims of calamities.
“This legislation is a game-changer not only for our disaster response, but also for public education. With this law, we can ensure that learning recovery can immediately take place after disasters,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.
Speaker Martin Romualdez said the enactment of the law is timely since weather disturbances are increasingly becoming stronger and thus more destructive due to climate change.
“We should have prepared for this eventuality years ago because we are visited every year by at least 20 typhoons. But it’s still not too late to prepare and we should start building the needed evacuation centers soon,” Romualdez said.
On the other hand, Senate President Francis Escudero said the signing of the Student Loan Payment Moratorium During Disasters and Emergencies Act adheres to the Filipino spirit of “damayan.”
“The legislation is a timely intervention from the government to help curb the cases of enrollees dropping out of school due to financial constraints. We always see the destruction in the aftermath of these calamities, but we often miss the other victims, the students, many of whom end up sacrificing their future because of these disasters,” Escudero said. — Elizabeth Marcelo, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jose Rodel Clapano
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