REVILLA BATS FOR INSTITUTIONALIZING MAYON EVACUATION

Due to constant unrest of the Mayon Volcano which affects residents in the area almost every two years, Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla said evacuation plan in the area should already be institutionalized. The senator, who lauded the Albay provincial and municipal governments for their systematic and organized response to the disaster said it is high time to build permanent evacuation centers in Albay with the frequent volcanic unrest.

Revilla was in Legazpi over the week end on a relief operation mission in the towns of Daraga and Sto. Domingo where most numbers of the affected families are still housed in evacuation centers. The senator also went around the evacuation centers, especially in Sto. Domingo where evacuees are staying in make shift houses and tents in a nearby school.

He noted with concern that the already long stay of the evacuees in temporary housing with cramped spaces do not augur well for the well-being and welfare of the evacuees. He also stressed that converting schools into evacuation centers heavily disrupts the classes of many students. I am disturbed by what I have seen, children enduring the grueling heat of the sun in make shift houses and tents, people cramming in very limited spaces, and these are constantly happening in this province because of the Mayons unrest every so often.

With the habitual instability of the volcano, Revilla said the province might as well put permanent evacuation centers in usual places where residents are always evacuated. Since this is always happening, evacuation plans need to be institutionalized already. Permanent evacuation centers should already be erected so that in times like this, we know where to put the evacuees. We avoid disrupting classes in schools where we usually house the displaced residents; we also save ourselves from trouble of looking around for temporary shelters.

Revilla said the Albay Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council already has a proposal on the specs of the said permanent evacuation centers. In a briefing with the PDCC, Revilla was told that there were already identified areas where a permanent evacuation center is needed, like Daraga and Sto. Domingo. A big fund is needed to put these centers and Revilla said he is willing to put up the first permanent evacuation center which he said would serve as the model for the ensuing ones. He asked the local officials and the PDCC to provide him the proposal and he would put up a starting fund.

What we can put up is a multi-purpose hall. Its primary use is for an evacuation center, but we can also use this as training center when the Mayon is calm and stable. We can conduct livelihood seminars in this building. This forms part institutionalizing our disaster preparedness response.