Permanent evac centers pressed
QUEZON City Rep. Alfred Vargas has pressed for the Senate’s immediate approval of a bill mandating the establishment of permanent evacuation centers across the country following the devastation caused by typhoon Odette.
“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 pro-active in our legislation,” Vargas, brother of congressional candidate Patrick Michael “PM” Vargas, said.
“Climate change is a reality we can no longer deny or ignore, and like the rest of the world, governments are taking measures to protect the vulnerable sectors from its worst effects. It’s about time we step up to the challenge,” he added.
Vargas is the principal author of House Bill 8990 or An Act Establishing Evacuation Centers in Every City and Municipality. The bill had been earlier approved unanimously by the House of Representatives.
Vargas said setting up evacuations centers that are climate resilient, located in safe zones, and equipped with needed amenities “offers a long-term solution to the crisis conditions in communities severely affected by increasingly powerful typhoons.”
