• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The P55 million Victorias City Command and Evacuation Center in Brgy. XIII, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, is now ready to serve its residents who may be affected by calamities, including those from neighboring local government units.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. and Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, yesterday led the inauguration rites.
“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 P55 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.
Mayor Benitez said the two-storey structure, which can accommodate as much as 1,000 people, 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,” the mayor said.
The facility 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.
The VCCEC forms part of the 25-hectare Sidlak Victorias Global City where a new city hall and other city government buildings and facilities, including a housing project will be built.
Benitez also said that the P350 million City Hall will soon be constructed in the Sidlak Victorias Global City.*
