DepEd chief: Mandatory evacuation centers law a ‘game changer’
FILE PHOTO: Department of Education (DepEd) chief Sonny Angara. Voltaire F. Domingo / Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) considered the new law mandating the establishment of fully equipped evacuation centers nationwide as a “game changer” for public learning.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in a statement Friday that the newly enacted law “addresses a long-standing issue of public schools being used as evacuation centers.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act (Safe Filipinos) during a simple ceremony at the Malcañan Palace earlier on Friday. The Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act mandates the installation of evacuation centers that can provide safer temporary shelters to calamity-hit individuals and families.
Before this law, DepEd allows local government units to use public schools as evacuation centers for up to 15 days.
“This legislation is a game-changer not only for our disaster response but also for public education,” Angara said.
Article continues after this advertisement“With this law, we can ensure that learning recovery can immediately take place after disasters,” he added.
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The Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act mandates the construction of evacuation centers at strategic locations nationwide. The evacuation centers must withstand wind speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour and earthquakes of up to magnitude 8.0.
Under the law, the evacuation centers must have adequate ventilation, sleeping quarters, shower areas, kitchens, healthcare facilities, and recreational areas.
READ: DepEd working to address learning gaps due to storm-disrupted classes
It also tasks the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to lead and work with other government agencies to implement the program.
The passage of the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act came weeks after a series of typhoons battered many areas of the country from October to November, resulting in deaths and destruction as billions of pesos were lost in agriculture and infrastructure. The successive calamities likewise disrupted education as it forced the cancellation of classes amid bad weather and because some schools were either ruined or used as evacuation centers.
