JOINT MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO.
Series of 2013
GUIDELINES ON EVACUATION CENTER COORDINATION AND MANAGEMENT
I. RATIONALE
‘The Philippines is a disaster prone nation and vulnerable to various natural hazards in
the form of typhoons, floods, flashfloods, tidal waves tsunami, armed conflict, landslides,
fires and earthquakes. Typhoons and floods usually hits Metro Manila, the provinces of
Pangasinan, Northeastern part of Luzon, Isabela, Bicol, Ormoc and other regions
namely, regions 2, 3 and 4A and B and other parts of Visayas. Flashfloods occurred
several times in Mindanao specifically in the provinces of Agusan del Norte and Sur of
CARAGA Region, Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur of Region XI, Bicol of Region V,
Maguindanao of ARMM and other parts of the country. Volcanic seismic and eruption
hits Zambales, Pampanga and Bicol Region. The country is situated in the circum-Pacific
seismic belt, popularly known as the "Pacific Rim of Fire”.
‘The Philippines has 200 volcanoes, 20 of which are active. It also has active geological
fault lines crossing our archipelago, thus, making it prone to earthquake and landslides
such as the Cherry Hills Antipoto of Region IV, Guinsaugon in St. Bernard of Region VIII,
Compostela Valley of Region XI, and some parts of the country like CAR. There are also
armed conflict in Basilan and Maguindanao in ARMM and insurgencies in some parts of
the country.
By virtue of Republic Act 7160, also known as the Local Government Code of 1991, the
local governments, specifically the provincial governments, are mandated to provide
immediate basic relief assistance such as food, clothing, psycho-social support, and
emergency shelter to families affected by natural or human- induced. There is a need to
immediately move the disaster affected families to safe evacuation centers or safe areas
because of the threat of or the actual occurrence of disasters which may cause loss of
lives and destruction of properties.
‘The orderly movement of families to safe evacuation centers and areas (school facilities
, multi-purpose centers, health centers, barangay halls, chapels, churches, government
buildings tents and bunk houses) is one of the most difficult tasks to undertake and
manage when done only during emergencies. Families are oftentimes unwilling to leave
their homes for fear of losing their valuables or because they may feel that their security
at the alternate location cannot be assured. Suitable means of transportation may also
be lacking,
The safety of the familie: or population is the primary consideration but the readiness
and resources available for the purpose is oftentimes an issue depending on the
magnitude of the disaster where there is a need for massive evacuations to ensure .
‘The entry of the cluster approach in the country started when the Government of the
Philippine (GPH) requested for international assistance through a flash appeal following
Page 1the massive destruction caused by Typhoon “Reming” which heavily affected Bicol
Region with a total of 627, 898 families displaced and damaged 588,031 houses in the
six provinces of Bicol regions namely, Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon,
Masbate and Catanduanes.
Asa result, the GPH and UN adopted the Cluster Approach in the country by virtue of
the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Circular No, 05, series of 2007
issued on May 10, 2007. This formally institutionalized the cluster approach in the
Philippine Disaster Management System, Designation of Cluster Leads and their Term of
Reference at the Nationa, Regional and Provincial level. On January 29, 2008, the then
National Disaster Coordinating Council Technical Working Group (NDCC-TWG)
presented the approach by the cluster leads and designation of lead government agency
counterpart and its members.
On October 6, 2008, pursuant to the pronouncement of the President during the
September 19, 2008 meeting of the Task Force on Humanitarian Assistance on IDPs, the
NDCC Circular No. 5, s. 2007 and No. 4 s, 2008 was amended through Memorandum No.
12s, 2008, merging several clusters and designation of lead government agencies. This
includes the merging of DSWD lead cluster namely: (1) camp coordination and
management, protection and emergency shelter cluster; and, (2) permanent shelter and
livelihood cluster.
‘The aim of the institutionalization of the cluster approach is to ensure a more coherent
and effective response by mobilizing partner government agencies, organizations and
Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) to respond in a strategic manner across all key
sectors with clearly designated lead agencies in support of the existing government
coordination during disaster.
Further, on May 27, 2010, RA 10121, better known as the Philippine Disaster Risk
Reduction and Managesment Act of 2010 was signed into law, with the corresponding
Implementing Rules and Regulation formulated and published for implementation.
Significant features of the new law include the heavy emphasis on risk reduction and
disaster preparedness which will empower the disaster and emergency responders and
all other actors to proactively undertake measures in reducing the risks and impact of
disasters to the communities and vulnerable families,
In ine with the above, this guideline is enhanced to adequately fit into the situations
where new laws, new kind of hazards and population growth are issues and realities to
be considered and where empowerment, capacity building and rights-based principles
are basic concerns. This guideline will serve as guide to all the national government
agencies members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC) in providing technical assistance to the Local Government Units (LGUs)
specifically on the management of evacuation centers and coordination.
With the adoption of the cluster approach in the country and the approval and
implementation of RA 10121, there is a need to enhance and update DSWD AO 36,
series of 1994 to ensure its relevance to current disaster risk reduction and
management practices and standards.
Page 2I. Scope and Coverage
1. The guidelines cover all activities before, during and after evacuation of families
affected by natural and human-induced disasters including armed conflict.
Specifically, the ines aim to: (1) clarify mandates; (2) guide on resource
allocation; (3) provide for designation of responsible offices/persons; and, (4)
mandate the implementation of provisions of law.
2. The guidelines will guide local government units (LGUs), field offices of national
government agencies, NGOs, private groups and international organizations.
3. Where specifically stated, this guideline will govern both localized and major
disasters.
II, Definition of Terms
1. Disaster Assistance Family Access Card (DAFAC) - is a card issued to victims
of disasters/IDPs indicating the general information of the family head and its
members and the assistance provided.
2. Evacuation Center - any site or center hosting evacuees which include but not
limited to, schools, covered courts, barangay /community halls, camping areas,
collective centers, abandoned houses/buildings, multi-purpose centers and or
established “tent cities” .
3. Evacuation Center Coordination- synchronizing the roles and responsibilities
in the overall humanitarian response, including ensuring adherence to agreed
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)! standards and operational guidelines.
4, Evacuees- refers to “persons who have involuntarily moved from their places of
origin as a result of war, armed conflict, generalized situation of violence,
violation of human rights and natural disasters to a safer ground within the
national territory, hence, the change in environment and a need to adjust
thereto” and anj-other residing within an evacuation center and other sites
hosting those affected by displacement.
5, Evacuation Center Management-is a mechanism through which relief
assistance and other humanitarian initiatives can be coordinated to ensure
efficient delivery of services to the affected population. Likewise, this includes
systems and procedures installed from planning, organizing, conducting and
assessing.
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