Inday Loren Builds Evacuation Centers in All Antique Towns

To strengthen her home province’s resilience to disasters, Senator “Inday Loren” Legarda funded the construction of evacuation centers in all 18 municipalities of Antique.

Permanent evacuation centers have either been completed or ongoing construction in each of the 18 towns—Brgy. Salvacion in Anini-y; Brgy. Esparar in Barbaza; Brgy. Sinaja in Belison; Brgy. Cubay South in Bugasong; Brgy. Poblacion in Caluya; Brgy. Batonan in Culasi; Brgy. Bia-an in Hamtic; Brgy. Poblacion in Laua-an; Brgy. Centro Weste in Libertad; Brgy. Mag-aba in Pandan; Brgy. Igbobon in Patnongon; San Fernando Elementary School in San Jose; Brgy. Calag-itan in San Remigio; Brgy. Idio in Sebaste; Brgy. Poblacion in Sibalom; Brgy. Tuno in Tibiao; Poblacion 5 in Tobias Fornier; and Brgy. Pandanan in Valderrama. There is also a regional evacuation center at Brgy. San Pedro in San Jose.

“We have become accustomed to using schools as evacuation centers in times of disasters and this is not healthy because there are instances when it takes weeks or months before calamity victims are able to go back to their homes or provided with new shelters. Moreover, such practice hampers the learning process of schoolchildren because they cannot fully utilize their space and facilities.  This is why we see the need to build permanent evacuation centers so that we limit the use of classrooms as such,” Legarda said.

The Antiqueña Senator explained that these evacuation centers should be resilient to earthquake, typhoon, flood and other extreme weather events. They should utilize natural ventilation and include facilities for the special needs of women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) and such other physical provisions guaranteeing a humane condition for evacuees.

When not used as temporary shelter for evacuees, these centers can be used for the various activities of these municipalities.

“I want our communities to be disaster resilient and prepared every time a natural hazard strikes. Having an evacuation center in every municipality is just one project, the bigger program is ensuring that settlements are located in safe and disaster-resilient areas, communities have early warning systems, and local leaders enforce evacuation when needed. I want our province to be a model for disaster resilience and preparedness,” Legarda concluded.