EVACUATION CENTER. Mayor Edwin Santiago of the City of San Fernando, Pampanga delivers his message during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the PHP50-million multi-purpose evacuation center on Friday (Nov. 27, 2020). The project is to be funded by Pagcor. (Photo by the City Government of San Fernando)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – A PHP50-million multi-purpose evacuation center is set to be constructed in this city next year as part of the government’s long-term solution to address climate change.
To be located inside the Pampanga High School (PHS) here, the project will be funded by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).
Pagcor chairperson and chief executive officer Andrea Domingo handed the fund to City Mayor Edwin Santiago during the groundbreaking ceremony held at the PHS on Friday and witnessed by several officials of the local government and the academe.
Domingo said the project is under the government’s long-term response to climate change, which aims to promote resiliency among Filipinos, including the Kapampangans.
“The reason why we are concentrating on building evacuation centers, which could also be used for other purposes, is because, from our experience here in Pampanga, we always have floods. Mayroon din tayong earthquakes (We also have earthquakes). When I assumed the office (Pagcor) in 2016, we thought that we should go into this project,” Domingo said during the event.
Santiago said the project is a major gift to the city and the youth.
“Alam natin na panahon ngayon ng pasasalamat sa gitna ng pagsubok na ating hinaharap, pasasalamat sa mga tao at grupong tumutulong sa mga adhikain natin. Katulad ngayon, biniyayaan tayo ng Pagcor ng isang gusali at ito ay isang malaking regalo sa siyudad at sa mga kabataan (We know that this is the time to be grateful amid the trial we face, to be thankful to the people and groups who are helping us with our goals. Like today, Pagcor has blessed us with a building and it is a great gift to the city and the youth),” he said.
Santiago also assured Pagcor of well-organized procedures for the construction of the building.
“Ang San Fernando ay isang process-oriented city. Mayroon tayong sinusundang proseso para sa mga donasyon. Naniniwala tayo na alam din ito ng ating mga katuwang, kaya maraming biyaya ang dumarating sa atin (San Fernando is a process-oriented city. We have a process in place for donations. We believe that our partners also know this, that is why many blessings come to us),” he added.
City Engineer Anele David said her office is currently working on the procedures to meet the given timeline for the completion of the project.
David said the contractor of the project would be assisted by the city project engineers to monitor the progress of the building while Pagcor would deploy technical consultants to check the quality of the project.
The multi-purpose evacuation center is a two-story full-scale center with a complete facility, storage room, and a badminton-type area on the second floor.
Pagcor has earmarked PHP2 billion for the construction of multi-purpose evacuation centers in typhoon-prone provinces. (PNA)
