DAVAO CITY (September 17)— President Rodrigo Duterte asked Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar to build permanent evacuation centers in areas frequently visited by typhoons.
Duterte during the Typhoon Ompong briefing at the Cagayan Provincial Capitol in Tuguegarao City on September 16, 2018 , Duterte said “|I want to maybe ‘yung DPWH to design — just like a gym but it cannot be a place for habitation, it’s only intended to be used during itong evacuation center. Kasi pag ganito tayo nang pag ganito, especially in places na prone sa baha, ang mga bata napuputol ‘yung edukasyon.”
The President was responding to the appeal of Education Secretary Leonor Briones that learners suffer most after every calamity because their schools are being used as an evacuation center.
To this, Duterte said “It is disruptive to students to always allow evacuees in flood-prone areas as their education is being hampered.”
“If we can have a design from DPWH na maganda, parang gym, with a lot of — maybe, marami lang ano, ‘yung separate lang ‘yung comfort rooms or washrooms for the ladies and the… Ako meron ako dun sa Davao ganun, separate lang,” Duterte stressed.
The evacuation center, according to Duterte should have at least comfort rooms “10 of that (for women) and another 10 for the men, it would go a long way to alleviate the suffering of the people at that time.”
Highways Secretary Mark Villar during the same conference committed to prepare the plan for said purpose.-Editha Z. Caduaya/NewsLine.ph
