Schools should be last resort as evacuation centers, say solons

MANILA, Philippines–Several Senate bills that propose to limit the use of schools as evacuation centers so as not to disrupt the students’ education have gained support from various sectors, although finding and providing other safe alternative sites is easier said than done.

The bills do not provide for an outright ban on the use of schools for displaced residents but instead state that these should be used a last resort.

Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera of the Department of Social Welfare and Development said in a recent Senate hearing that there were efforts on the part of the government to avoid using schools as temporary shelters for displaced residents unless there were no alternatives.

Cabrera said that while school rooms tended to be used when there were gymnasiums, municipal halls and other buildings, these were used for short-term stays. Churches have also served as alternative shelter.

At the same time, officials have also done their best to avoid using daycare centers as evacuation centers so as not to disrupt the children’s activities, she said.

The proposal to limit the use of schools as evacuation centers, unless there is no other alternative, is contained in five measures that seek to provide comprehensive emergency relief and protection for children during disasters, calamities and other emergency situations.

The bills state that schools should be designated as evacuation centers only when there are no other available structures for displaced persons.

In case schools are tapped, the use should be limited to areas other than classrooms, such as gymnasiums, auditoriums and other open spaces. Their use as temporary shelters should only be for a limited time of 30 days, unless an extension is absolutely necessary.–Leila B. Salaverria