(Photo courtesy of La Union Media Affairs Office)
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – Construction has begun on the Ilocos Region’s first Ligtas Pinoy Center (LPC), a Php 71.64-million evacuation facility designed to provide safe shelter for residents during typhoons, floods and other disasters.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday in Barangay Suyo, Bagulin, La Union, led by Civil Defense Administrator Undersecretary Harold Cabreros.
Cabreros said Bagulin was among the first municipalities to qualify for the program after meeting the required criteria. Only 18 Ligtas Pinoy Center projects were approved nationwide this year.
Funded under the General Appropriations Act, the facility will include sleeping quarters, a health care station, sanitation facilities and designated spaces for livestock and pets, according to the La Union Media Affairs Office.
Bagulin was identified as a priority municipality due to its high disaster risk, based on the LPC Prioritization Scorecard, which evaluates hazard exposure, community vulnerability, disaster frequency, coping capacity and local government preparedness.
Association of Barangay Councils President and Suyo Barangay Chairman Ruben Camarao welcomed the project, citing previous flooding and landslides that forced residents to seek temporary shelter in public facilities.
“This facility means a lot to us. In the past months, when the river overflowed due to a typhoon, we had to evacuate residents to the municipal covered court. We have also experienced landslides in our area. This facility will be a great help not only to our barangay but also to other barangays,” Camarao said.
La Union Governor Mario Eduardo Ortega emphasized the need for durable and properly equipped evacuation facilities to protect communities during emergencies.
Ortega also thanked the national government for supporting the project, saying it complements the province’s efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness following recent typhoons.
The Ligtas Pinoy Center Program was established under Republic Act No. 12076, or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on December 6, 2024.
The program is jointly implemented by the Office of Civil Defense, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and participating local government units.
On June 30, 2026, the implementing agencies and the local governments of Bagulin and Bangar signed a memorandum of agreement during the second-quarter Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting.
The evacuation center is expected to be completed in 2027.
