Lorenzana: Climate change prompted the need for such a facility

A P32 million regional evacuation center was turned over yesterday in Zarraga, Iloilo. Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana led the ceremony in the town’s Barangay Gines, marking the 11th facility of its kind in the Western Visayas.
The cabinet official said such facilities are necessary due to a reported increase in frequency and strength of natural disasters.
“Why is that so?” he asked. “Climate change.”
The facility is able to accommodate 33 families with beds, along with another 130 individuals without beds, and is home to an infirmary, pharmacy, toilets, and laundry facilities.
The center also includes a storage room that can be converted for other purposes.
Out of the total 11 evacuation centers in the region, six have already been completed and are located in Kalibo, Aklan; San Jose de Buenavista, Antique; Carles, Iloilo; along with two in Negros Occidental, in Bago City and San Carlos City.
Also present for the turnover were DND Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr., Zarraga Mayor John H. Tarrosa, Office of Civil Defense-Region VI Director Jose Roberto Nuñez; along with representatives from various government agencies./WDJ