EVACUATION HUB. Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez and Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. (2nd and 3rd from left) lead the ribbon cutting and inauguration rites for the PHP55-million Victorias City Command and Evacuation Center in Negros Occidental on Thursday (March 14, 2024). They were joined by (from left) Office of Civil Defense -Western Visayas Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division chief Aletha Nogra, DILG Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Lopez De Leon, DILG-Western Visayas Regional Director Juan Jovian Ingeniero and DILG-Negros Occidental Provincial Director Teodora Sumagaysay. (PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver)
VICTORIAS CITY – This city located in northern Negros Occidental on Thursday unveiled its new PHP55-million evacuation center and multiple-purpose building implemented through the assistance of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The two-storey structure, located in Barangay 13, was blessed and inaugurated as the Victorias City Command and Evacuation Center (VCCEC) in rites led by DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez.
"This building symbolizes our determination to protect the lives and safety of our people, showing our strength and commitment," Abalos said in his message.
"The VCCEC is not merely a structure of concrete and steel, it is a symbol of our collective determination to mitigate the impacts of calamities and protect our communities in times of need," he added.
The state-of-the-art disaster management and emergency response facility was funded by the Department of Budget and Management through the 2022 Local Government Support Fund-Financial Assistance to Local Government Unit Program.
"With an investment of PHP55 million, we have equipped Victorias City with a vital resource that will serve as a safe haven during emergencies and a centralized hub for coordinating disaster response efforts," Abalos said.
Benitez said the establishment of the VCCEC is a realization of a dream of every resident of Victorias City.
"We have collaborated with our DILG to make this project happen and we couldn't be more thankful for their support. We commit to utilizing the full potential of this center, maintaining the services it can offer and turning this facility into a model of how an evacuation center should be," he added.
The VCCEC has a fully-equipped disaster operations center with telephone communication system that will augment centralized emergency hotlines, advanced surveillance technology, internet of things (IOT) equipment such as rainfall gauges, proximity and pressure sensors, and other disaster management equipment.
Benitez said the VCCEC was constructed in only six months from May to December last year.
He stressed the importance of preparing the community for a potential disaster through forecasts and informed analyses and early warning signs to mitigate damage and economic losses. (PNA)
