As the number of families affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Odette breached 1 million on Monday, several lawmakers and candidates for the 2022 national elections reiterated calls to build permanent evacuation centers across the country, which is hit by an average of 20 storms a year.
Families displaced by Odette have so far reached a total of 1,074,169, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Monday.
In its latest situation report, the agency said this is equivalent to a total of 4,204,601 individuals from the regions of Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
But the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) were silent so far on President Rodrigo Duterte’s orders Sunday to immediately evict residents living on coastal easements within 40 meters of the shoreline, to prevent loss of lives and damage to property during natural calamities such as Odette.
This prompted Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas on Sunday to repeat his appeal to senators to act on bills proposing the establishment of permanent evacuation centers amid the recent devastation caused by the typhoon.
Vargas is the principal author of House Bill 8990, or An Act Establishing Evacuation Centers in Every City and Municipality, that was approved by the House of Representatives and is awaiting Senate action.
“The loss to lives and property in the Visayas and Mindanao should be seen as a wake-up call for us in Congress to be proactive in our legislation,” said Vargas, chairman of the House Committee on Social Services.
Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. had filed separate similar bills, with the former’s proposal being referred to the House Committee on National Defense as the principal committee in 2019.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte also said rehabilitation efforts should include the construction of permanent and durable evacuation centers to safeguard people from future calamities.
“Building permanent, durable evacuation centers complete with the essential facilities that evacuees need is among the adaptation measures that the government should include in its six-month rehabilitation efforts in the Odette-battered provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao,” he said.
Villafuerte said the initial construction of these permanent evacuation centers can be sourced from the P10 billion that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said would be made available for the rehabilitation of typhoon-ravaged provinces.
Last week, House Committee on Disaster Resilience chairperson Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez of Leyte said a centralized government agency is necessary to make disaster preparedness more comprehensive, responsive, and customized based on technical and scientific analysis.
Torres-Gomez said the disparity in disaster preparation and response from one local government unit (LGU) to another has been made apparent in the aftermath of Odette.
“A disaster is just too huge and too complex for LGUs to handle on their own. And yes, some LGUs are capable, but we just cannot leave something as critical as disaster resilience, preparedness, response and recovery to the whims of chance,” Torres-Gomez said.
Former national police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, who is running for a Senate seat next year, said the construction of permanent evacuation centers in communities should be planned by the government to address the lack of facilities for victims of calamities such as typhoons and earthquakes.
He said the Department of Public Works and Highways should be allocated with a specific budget for the construction of permanent evacuation centers.
Eleazar, running under Partido Reporma of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, lamented that some of the victims had to be sheltered in covered courts or barangay halls while others stayed in classrooms during the typhoon.
“We cannot take away the fact that many typhoons pass our country each year, so we have to focus on preparing for these. Once elected, I will push in the Senate the establishment of strong and orderly evacuation centers where people can go during a typhoon or an earthquake,” he said in a statement.
Families staying and being aided in the 1,179 evacuation centers are placed at 314,676 while the rest are assisted outside or seeking shelter with their relatives and friends, the NDRRMC said.
The number of reported deaths has reached 389, with 1,146 injured and 64 missing. However, only 52 deaths, 73 injured, and 15 missing persons have so far been validated.
A total of 284 cities and municipalities experienced power interruption in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Caraga and the BARMM while power supply has been restored in 154 cities and municipalities.
Meanwhile, a total of 18 cities and municipalities experienced water supply outages and interruptions in Mimaropa, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga. Water supply has been restored in one locality so far.
Also, a total of 371 cities and municipalities experienced an interruption in telecommunications services in Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, and the BARMM.
Telecommunications services have been fully restored in 115 cities and municipalities.
Damaged houses were placed at 506,404, of which 339,327 were classified as partially damaged and 167,077 as totally damaged.
Damage to infrastructure and agriculture has been estimated at PHP16.7 billion and PHP5.3 billion, respectively.
Also, a total of 334 cities and municipalities in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga are now under a state of calamity.
President Duterte ordered the “summary eviction” of residents living on coastal easements within 40 meters of the shoreline in a recent
command conference with military and police officials in Cebu.
“Don’t wait for the court to issue an order. They [residents] will usually seek court intervention through a writ of injunction. Let us just tell the judge: ‘You know, Judge, this is what the government wants [to do] to protect its citizens,” Duterte said.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año reported to Duterte that some residents living along coastal easements have resisted efforts to have them relocated despite an existing law that there should be no housing structures within 40 meters of the shoreline.
“We will work with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the National Housing Authority. We have to implement that law. That was our lesson learned from super typhoon Yolanda [in 2013],” Año said.
Duterte also directed the NHA to provide P100 million in aid each to the provinces devastated by Odette.
He said the DILG will supervise the distribution “to make sure that everything goes smoothly.”
“The building materials are on their way. I think Housing will be the one to distribute that.”
“The military and the police will be there to maintain peace and order. That’s the only reason, nothing else. They’re just there to
ensure discipline so that government workers can do their job well,” he said.