Marcos signs laws for evacuation centers, student loan payment moratorium

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos on Friday signed into law the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act and the Student Loan Payment Moratorium During Disasters Emergencies Act.

The Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act creates permanent evacuation centers designed to withstand typhoon winds of up to 300 kilometers per hour and seismic activity of up to magnitude 8.0, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

“We need to ensure that the evacuation centers sufficiently respond to the needs of our people affected by calamities and other such emergencies,” Marcos said in his speech during the signing ceremony in Malacañang.

“Investing in these climate-resilient facilities must be the norm; for we are not only protecting the people’s lives, but also capacitating our local government units to respond, to reduce, and to manage the risks of disasters,” he added.

With the new law, he assured the Department of Education (DepEd) that schools will now focus on promoting students’ welfare and development as campuses are usually used as evacuation centers during disasters.

Marcos ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to ensure timely construction of evacuation centers in priority local government units with compliance with the standards.

Meanwhile, the PCO said the Student Loan Payment Moratorium During Disasters and Emergencies Act offers financial relief to students in calamity-declared areas.

With this law, loan repayments for higher education and technical-vocational training programs will be deferred during and after emergencies, according to the PCO.

“The benevolence of this law allows the disaster-affected students and their families to have a breathing space as they recuperate and rebuild their lives,” Marcos said.

“It is our hope that this law will help lessen the financial burden off our students’ shoulders as they continue their schooling,” he added.

In line with this, Marcos directed the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to give all assistance to students.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News