The Department of the Interior and Local Government – National Capital Region (DILG-NCR) participated in the Stakeholder Consultation on the Implementing Guidelines and Minimum Standards for Permanent Evacuation Centers of Local Government Units (LGUs) held on April 29, 2025, at Privato Hotel, Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

The consultation was graced by Director Alfonso A. Maralli, Jr., CESO IV of the DILG Office of Project Development Services (OPDS), who welcomed participants from national government agencies; local government functionaries from Regions I, II, III, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, CAR, Bicol, and NCR; and representatives from DILG Regional and Provincial Offices.

Dr. Marqueza L. Reyes, Technical Lead of the Disaster Risk Reduction Enhancement at the Local Level – Technical Assistance (DRREALL-TA), presented the background of the initiative, emphasizing the importance of addressing the needs and safety of vulnerable sectors—such as women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities—in building local infrastructure such as permanent evacuation centers. 

Project Architect and Urban Planning Expert Ar. Amillah Rodil, together with Gender Expert Shebana Alqaseer, also presented the salient points of the draft National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Memorandum Circular, which includes location requirements, general structure and design standards, space requirements, and utility systems requirements. To gather insights and recommendations, participants engaged in small group discussions through a World Cafe workshop.

Concluding the session, DILG-NCR Regional Director Maria Lourdes L. Agustin, CESO III underscored the importance of improving the draft implementing guidelines, standards, and prototype designs to support the development of comprehensive and inclusive minimum standards for evacuation centers, as part of the Department’s efforts to build quality shelters for disaster-affected communities.

“Collaborations like this are the backbone of local infrastructure development, as we need more and more actors in accelerating our efforts to achieve resilience in the disaster risk reduction sector,” RD Agustin added.

The stakeholder consultation forms part of the Department’s initiatives under the DRREALL-TA, a project being implemented by Expertise France as part of the DRREALL—a policy-based support program and a long-term partnership between Agence Francaise de Developpement and the Government of the Philippines, led by the DILG. The development of inclusive minimum standards for permanent evacuation centers contributes to achieving the project’s objective of strengthening DRRM-CCA capacities at the national and local levels, particularly by promoting gender-sensitive and socially inclusive approaches to disaster response within LGUs.