P33 billion needed to build evacuation center in every city — think-tank

MANILA, Philippines — The government will need at least P33 billion to establish an evacuation center in every city and municipality, a House-based think-tank has found, highlighting the funding challenges in replacing the use of schools as temporary shelters during disasters.

A House bill seeking to have a designated evacuation center in every locality "requires hefty funding" with an estimated cost of P33.4 billion in total or an average of P64.8 million per building, according to an analysis by the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD).

The proposed law may require not just more efficient spending from the Department of Public Works and Highways — which "has a history of low absorptive capacity" — but also private financing and more Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) projects, the House think-tank noted.

To arrive at the estimated cost of implementing House Bill 7354, the CPBRD based its analysis on the cost of a DPWH-designed evacuation center and adjusted this for inflation and regional price differences using price indices. 

The think tank also took into account the existing evacuation centers in the country based on the government's inventory list. 

The P33.4 billion needed to fulfill the proposed law "is a huge weight in the country's budget" and would require Local Government Units (LGUs) or private individuals to donate land for the infrastructure, which is not included in the estimated cost, the CPBRD said.

"Even when the national government targets to complete the program in ten years, the cost would still be at P3.8 billion per year and P12.7 billion if to be completed in three years, assuming that there are no delays in the construction of the evacuation centers and no significant changes in the prices of materials and labor," the think tank said.

"This makes the LGU prioritization feature of the bill more crucial to ensure that the most vulnerable and in-need LGUs are to be served first," they added.

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-vulnerable countries in the world and has long relied on the use of public schools to provide temporary shelter to families affected by typhoons, floods and other disastrous or hazardous