Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar announced the completion of another gender-friendly and PWD-inclusive evacuation center in the municipality of Dasol in the province of Pangasinan.
Citing a report from DPWH-Region 1 Director Ronnel M. Tan, Secretary Mark A. Villar said that P36-million was allocated to construct the two-storey building facility that can accommodate about 500 individuals during calamities.
The Dasol Evacuation Center includes a separate single-storey toilet and bathroom building for men and women, a three (3) storey laundry and drying area, water tank building, generator and pump room, a garbage disposal building, and a single-storey building that will serve as command office for the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) and Office of the Civil Defense (OCD).
Situated in a 3,323-square meter lot in Barangay Poblacion, the project is aimed to serve as a temporary home for families that will be affected by typhoons and other calamities as they cope with the disaster’s aftermath.
According to Secretary Villar, the construction of resilient evacuation centers all over the country plays a big part in preparedness efforts of vulnerable communities considering that Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries.
It is also one way of minimizing and eventually eradicating the use of school buildings as temporary shelters of disaster-affected families and to avoid disruption of classes.