Pampanga OKs ordinance mandating forced evacuation

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines—In the worst of disasters, the provincial government will compel residents to move out of harm’s way.

An ordinance authorizing forced evacuation in Pampanga province to effect zero casualties during disasters took effect on July 11. It was signed into law by Gov. Lilia Pineda on June 16.

Its passage makes Pampanga the second province in Central Luzon after Aurora province with a forced evacuation law, according to Nigel Lontoc, assistant regional director of the Office of Civil Defense.

Ordinance No. 605 requires the more than 2.1 million residents in 19 towns and two cities to heed all evacuation orders imposed in times of disasters or emergencies, or face fine and jail time, said Luis Rivera, provincial board secretary.

Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda, the board’s presiding officer, said the ordinance draws authority from the welfare clause of the Local Government Code of 1991.

Pineda said Mount Pinatubo’s 1991 eruptions, lahar flows and major flooding events, as well as risks expected from natural hazards amid worsening climate change, had made it necessary for local governments to carry out forced evacuation.

During the Pinatubo disaster, police and the military had to persuade residents to move out to clear areas threatened by lahar, she said.

She said she realized the absence of guidelines on forced evacuation when the provincial government was convincing residents living on Arnedo Dike along the towns of Apalit, San Luis and San Simon to leave, as floodwaters spilled from Pampanga River in 2011.

“There is now a common way to best [evacuate imperiled communities] and the aim is to save lives,” she said.

The Pampanga disaster risk reduction and management plan has prepared for such risks as floods, storm surges, earthquakes, liquefaction, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, according to the ordinance.

Mayors and the governor cannot unilaterally issue an order for forced evacuation. It may be enforced “only upon the recommendation of their respective disaster risk reduction and management councils,” according to the ordinance.