Former DSWD Field Office V Director Remia T. Tapispisan and Albay Governor Joey Salceda  (2^nd from right) sign the agreement on the construction of an evacuation center.  Also present during the signing are (from left): Assistant Regional Director  Evelyn Lontok, Municipal Mayor Herminio Bitara of Malilipot, and Albay Public Safety Emergency Management Officer Cedric Daep

As the lead agency in disaster response, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently sealed its partnership with the Provincial Government of Albay through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the construction of a P10.8 million evacuation center for disaster victims.

According to DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman, the two-storey prototype evacuation center cum multi-purpose building will serve as temporary shelter during disasters.  It will, however, be used as classrooms during normal conditions.

“At any given time, the center can accommodate 1,000 families who are from the barangays of San Roque, Canauay, Calbayog, and San Jose all in Malilipot, Albay,” Secretary Soliman said.

The evacuation center which will be constructed at the San Jose Elementary School in Malilipot, Albay was identified by Albay Governor Joey Salceda as the site that is accessible and near the target communities.  Likewise, the site was declared safe and free from hazards by the Mines and Geo Sciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The center has separate communal toilets and bathrooms for males and females; room for the elderly; cooking and washing areas;  stock room for relief goods; fabricated cubicles (collapsible) to serve as individual rooms per family, and office space for camp management team.  ###