Filipino people with disabilities during calamities

EVACUATION DRILLS AND CENTERS

Currently, there are six LGUs that have PWD-specific evacuation drills. These are Quezon City; Benguet; San Jose, Batangas; Navotas City; Roxas City, Capiz; and Marikina City.

1.  Quezon City– Led by the Business Permits and Licensing Department and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the city government has launched ALERT QC, which stands for Awareness, Lifesaving, Emergency Response Training, that aims to increase disaster preparedness and create a disaster-ready workplace.

These disaster preparedness trainings focus on tailored, hands-on emergency protocols and essential survival skills to enhance safety and self-reliance. Evacuation sites in the barangays of Bagong Silangan, Tatalon, North Fairview, San Bartolome, and Bagbag are also monitored by the PDAO in Quezon City to assist PWD evacuees.

2. Benguet– Its Office of Civil Defense-Cordillera Administrative Region (OCD-CAR) conducts capacity-building programs, including training on “buddy systems” where PWDs are paired with able-bodied volunteers to ensure safety during evacuations.

They also have vocational skills and livelihood opportunities for PWDs; Adaptive Technology Training particularly for the visually impaired, JAWS (Job Access with Speech), and basic computer skills.

There would also be sessions on the rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICC/IP), legal investigation, and PWD-related laws; training on enterprise management, financial literacy, and sustainability; and support services on obtaining PWD IDs, barangay certifications, and accessing social assistance.

3. San Jose, Batangas: Its Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council involves PWDs in simulation exercises, such as the 4th Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill.

Evacuation routes and techniques are tailored for individuals with physical or sensory disabilities and there are sessions on what to put in a go-bag, how to recognize danger signals (e.g., sirens), and how to use official communication channels.

4. Navotas City: During the evacuation exercises here, the drills specifically demonstrate how to safely move individuals using wheelchairs, those with visual impairments, and the deaf.

PWDs are also engaged to map and practice using accessible, pre-identified evacuation routes within their barangay and educated on preparing emergency kits containing necessary medications, assistive devices, and important documents.

Unique to the city is its “Project Resolve,” an innovative web-based application designed to centralize and streamline disaster-related processes launched by the DSWD-NCR.

5. Roxas City, Capiz: Its Regional Evacuation Centerin Brgy. Milibili features wheelchair ramps, dedicated PWD comfort rooms, and accessible layouts. These facilities are also constructed to be flood-proof and wind-resistant for safety. Other PWD-friendly centers are located in stable areas to withstand disasters, reducing risk for mobility-impaired individuals.

6. Marikina City: Focusing on a proactive, data-driven, and community-based approach centered on flood mitigation, early warning systems, and rapid response, the city has widened the Marikina River from 60 to 100 meters, implemented dredging, and reinforced banks to withstand high water velocity.

It also has installed 12 warning sirens along its riverbanks, applied the Mobile Operational System for Emergency Services (MOSES) tablet for real-time data from Project NOAH, conducted  earthquake drills regularly, and maintained trained Barangay Disaster Coordinating Councils.

There are also five evacuation centers that have proper accessibility and 48 specialized centers in the country constructed specifically to be PWD-friendly, such as the following:

1. Regional Evacuation Center, Milibili, Roxas City, Capiz: A two-story, all-weather facility with standard ramps, PWD comfort rooms, and wheelchair access ways.

2. Barangay Bukid Evacuation Center, Las Navas, Northern Samar: A newly constructed, flood-proof center equipped with ramps, generators, and accessible toilets.

3. Sirungan Ha Guiuan (Shelter of Guiuan), Eastern Samar: A two-story, 750 m²

typhoon-resilient structure with specialized ramps, handrails; and improved, safe, and illuminated spaces.

4. Arayupan ha Borongan (Shelter of Borongan), Eastern Samar: A 350-person capacity shelter featuring PWD-accessible ramps, handrails, and specialized WASH [Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene] facilities inaugurated with help from UNICEF and IOM.

5. Tanauan Evacuation Shelter, Leyte: A part of the “build back better” approach in inclusive disaster management in the Philippines that has wheelchair-accessible ramps leading to second-floor, specialized restrooms, and designated spaces.

6. 48 Specialized Shelters in Cebu: In a 2025-2026 report, the first Bayanihan Village of modular housing units (MSUs) were put up in Barangay Poblacion, San Remigio; the second Bayanihan Village of modular units was established in Barangay Pajo, Daanbantayan; emergency shelters were added in Bogo City and Medellin; and the Balay Silangan and the Anti-Mendicancy Shelter were built in the South Reclamation Area (SRP), Cebu City.

But many evacuation centers still lack proper accessibility. And these must stem largely from the reliance on public schools and temporary, repurposed facilities (e.g. covered courts, gyms) that do not adhere to the Batas Pambansa 344 (the Accessibility Law). They are the following:

– Marikina City Schools: In a 2017 study, 31 primary and secondary schools in the barangays of Nangka, Tumana, and Malanday used as evacuation centers were found to be not PWD-inclusive. They lack ramps and, in some cases, did not allow PWDs on the first floor, forcing them to navigate stairs.

– Metro Manila Public Facilities: Many designated evacuation centers in high-density, flood-prone areas of Metro Manila lack accessible toilets with grab bars and ramps for wheelchairs.

– Repurposed Local Gymnasiums and Churches: Often used in rural or smaller LGUs, these lack separate, accessible, and hygienic sanitation facilities.

Who provides the budget to build these evacuation centers? In the Philippines, the funding for building, maintaining, and operating evacuation centers was legislated in the 18th Congress, 19th Congress, and 20th Congress.

The initial construction, which would be the building and setting up of new, disaster-resilient evacuation centers, are charged against the budget of the DPWH that is included in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Then the LGUs would be the ones who would maintain, manage, and operate these facilities with the funds charged against its Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (LDRRMC). If there couldn’t be a permanent, dedicated, and accessible center, the LGU will designate the most accessible and safe public building (such as a multi-purpose gym) in the barangay as the temporary refuge area.

Other support agencies would be the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which would facilitate the funding for improving, expanding, or building of new facilities; and the Department of Education, which would be charged for the construction and maintenance of schools already used as evacuation centers and additional facilities.

KEY FINDINGS FROM RESEARCH ON PWDS AND DISASTER VULNERABILITY

1. PWDs in the Philippines are twice as likely to not recover from past disasters. This is because, as the study by Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) in 2024 shows, PWDs face 14-57% lower preparedness in training, information, and planning.

Also, disaster management in the Philippines often fails to account for the needs of PWDs and the latter are usually four times poorer than the general population, exacerbating their situation.

2. Evacuation centers, such as those used after Typhoon Haiyan, lackedaccessible toilets and ramps, and were not sensitive to the needs of women with disabilities. This is because of pre-existing infrastructural gaps in schools or gymnasiums, lack of disability-inclusive disaster planning, attitudinal barriers, and limited resources. In many cases, these shelters were damaged themselves, prioritizing emergency shelter over specialized accessibility.

Unfortunately, despite the combined efforts of the IOM and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), post-Typhoon Haiyan improvements for PWD-friendly evacuation centers in the Philippines have achieved mixed, yet generally progressive results. Many of the established centers remain overcrowded, lack sufficient toilet facilities for PWDs and ramps, and only the more visible or media-driven locations receive better upgrades.

3. PWDs often face challenges due to lack of clear, accessible, and inclusive information channels, relying heavily on peers for updates.This is because public facilities and information channels lack adequate facilities, such as braille, sign language, or digital accessibility. It doesn’t help that only about 60% of LGUs have dedicated offices for PWDs and only about 10% to 57% of PWDs are employed.

To address this, the government and partner agencies are implementing digital, legal, and community-based initiatives aimed at creating a “Non-Handicapping Environment” (NHE). Last year’s efforts focus on digitizing registration, enforcing accessibility laws, and providing tailored information services.

4. PWDs often face higher poverty rates, leading to limited financial resources and, therefore, greater difficulty rebuilding their lives after disasters.This is because PWDs face significant barriers to education and employment, eventually resulting in lower earnings or unemployment compared to the general population.

They also often incur additional costs for daily living (e.g. specialized care, assistive devices, and medication), lack savings and insurance, and have severely limited recovery options if their family or neighbors are impacted.

Role of the DILG:

It is the responsibility of this office to ensure inclusion of PWDs in local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) plans and that evacuation centers are accessible. As the vice chair for Disaster Preparedness of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the DILG is the one that mandates LGUs to adopt inclusive, gender-sensitive, and PWD-friendly strategies in their disaster plans.

The DILG, too, conducts audits together with the RDRRMC on temporary shelters to ensure that the latter comply with accessibility standards. It also trains local officials to ensure that PWDs are not left behind during disaster response.

Then in collaboration with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in 2024, the DILG developed the Support and Assistance Fund to Participatory Budgeting (SAFPB) to shift from traditional top-down budgeting to a process that involves citizens in identifying local needs, primarily focusing on water supply, sanitation, and disaster resilience. The SAFPB—originally under initiatives like Bottom-up Budgeting (BUB) and later as part of the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF)—aims to empower local communities, enhance transparency, and ensure that government funds directly address the urgent, high-priority needs of the poor.

Along with the agencies NDRRMC, DPWH, DOH, DepEd, the DILG is responsible, too, for providing technical assistance and oversight in implementing the technical specifications and standards of the Republic Act No. 12076. Otherwise termed as the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, it mandates the building of permanent and typhoon- and earthquake-resistant evacuation centers in every city and municipality. The centers must include sleeping areas, sanitation, medical facilities, and storage so that public schools will no longer be used as long-term evacuation centers.

All of the three safety measures of the Philippines to its PWDs during calamities appear to have been well-thought of then. Yet all the three poses “significant problems” – weak implementation, lack of enforcement, and inadequate monitoring of the legal mandates; fragmentation, inaccurate data, and slow, manual updates of the PWD-specific databases; and failure to address the specific needs of PWDs during the localized evacuation drills. All of which could be resolved through specialized training for rescuers, accessible warning systems, and personalized evacuation plans.