THE Zamboanga City Government announced that the construction of the P33.5-million evacuation center will start on Monday, December 10.

Dr. Elmeir Jade Apolinario, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) chief, said the evacuation center will be built on a 2,000-square meter lot in Cabatangan village.

Apolinario said the evacuation center will have three buildings with a capacity of 500 families. It is an enclosure to provide temporary shelter to people displaced by human-induced and natural calamities.

The CDRRMO chief said the construction is funded by the national government through the Department of Public Works and Highways and will be undertaken by a private firm, the Metro Stonerich Corporation, in 180 calendar days.

Apolinario said the construction of evacuation center is a requirement stipulated under Republic Act 10121 otherwise known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.

The facility in Cabatangan is one of the three evacuation centers that will be constructed in this city, he added.

He said the other two will be built inside the Zamboanga Economic Zone and Freeport area in the village of Talisayan for the west coast and either in Curuan or Vitali for the east coast. (SunStar Philippines)