THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is fast-tracking the construction of four new evacuation centers in Zamboanga to provide liveable temporary shelters for residents in times of calamities and disasters.
Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar said he has “ordered the accelerated implementation” of a project that aims to build the evacuation centers in the municipality of Cabatangan in Zamboanga City, municipalities of Labangan and Dinas in Zamboanga del Sur and in the municipality of Siocon in Zamboanga del Norte.
Villar said the project will ensure that residents affected by natural disasters will have a safe and livable evacuation center in case of calamity or other emergencies.
He did not give a specific timeline, and a spokesman from his office has yet to respond to the BusinessMirror’s request for clarification as of press time.
Already, the public works department has completed three of these facilities costing P102 million in Zamboanga. These are in the municipality of Labason and in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte; and in the municipality of Imelda, Zamboanga Sibugay.
These facilities are built to be gender-sensitive, and can likewise accommodate persons with disability. They have provisions for wheelchair ramps, railings, separate toilets for male and female, an infirmary, laundry and drying room, and an accommodation area.
“By providing strong and well-equipped evacuation centers, there will be no or less disruption for students since schools are no longer used as temporary shelter,” Villar said.
In September, President Duterte instructed the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to build more evacuation centers to minimize the use of school buildings during typhoons and other natural calamities.
Duterte made this directive after Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones reiterated her concerns that the use of school buildings as evacuation centers disrupts the flow of classes.
Briones said the use of school buildings forces government educators to hold classes in temporary learning shelters “which exposes them to greater risks.”