10 Evac Centers Turned Over to Central Visayas

8 March (PIA) — The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 7 and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are set to turn over ten Regional Evacuation Centers (RECs) worth P35 million each to Central Visayas.

Of the total, construction of six RECs are currently ongoing.

The centers are distributed to the four provinces of Region 7, namely: Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.

These evacuation centers are part of the Build Build Build program of Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

According to OCD-7, RECs are built in areas with seaports and airports nearby so that relief operations and goods distribution can be made easier.

The centers may also serve as temporary relief goods storage.

Engr. Ver Neil Balaba, Chief of the Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Division of OCD-7, said that the RECs are situated in areas that have been cleared from possible natural calamities by the Mines and Geoscience Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (MGB-DENR), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

Inside the REC in Brgy. Apas, Cebu City. The building can accommodate up to 65 families and may be used by the local government as temporary relief goods storage. (Photo from Office of Civil Defense 7)

The latest center that the OCD turned over is located in Brgy. Apas, Cebu City, on Feb. 28, 2019.

It can accommodate 65 families.

The other completed RECs in the region are in Medellin in Cebu, Tagbilaran City in Bohol, and Amlan in Negros Oriental.

The areas where construction of the centers are ongoing are in the following areas: Ubay and Jagna in Bohol; Asturias, Dalaguete, and Dumanjug, Cebu; and Siquijor, Siquijor.

OCD-7 and DENR are currently conducting inspection and clearance on 13 newly-proposed evacuation centers for Central Visayas worth P65 million each. (Jan Karla Madrio/PIA7)