Gyms to double as evacuation centers

BAYBAY CITY, Leyte – The city government will build this year three more gymnasiums that could be used as evacuation centers to avoid disruption of classes after natural calamities.

Mayor Carmen Cari said the new gyms will be built in Hipusngo, Monterico and Lintaun villages.

Almost all of the 92 villages in the city have gymnasiums used as evacuation centers during emergencies. As a result, classrooms have stopped being default evacuation centers in the city.

The city government will start construction in Hipusngo, about two kilometers from the city proper. The city government recently acquired a 1,000square-meter lot for the gym.

“The fund will be taken from our 2017 budget as part of our annual investment plan,” Cari said.

Each gym will cost P3 million to P4 million. It will have more rest rooms and a kitchen, according to the mayor.

“Lot is really a problem in the construction of facilities like this. This is very common especially in villages within or near the city’s commercial districts,” she added.

Earlier, the local government completed the repair of eight gyms destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. The reconstruction was funded under the Recovery Assistance on Yolanda budget from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Baybay, situated on the western coast of Leyte, immediately fronting the Camotes Island, is about 107 kilometers southwest of Tacloban City, the regional capital. The city has a population of more than 109,000 living in 82 rural villages and 10 urban areas. (PNA)