The Bicol University Convention and Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Facility, which is expected to house 7,000 evacuees in times of disaster, is nearing its completion.
Speaking before the inaugural ceremony for the structure on Tuesday, Ako Bicol Party-List Executive Director Alfredo Garbin said the late AKB Rep. Rodel Batocabe, in collaboration with Bicol University President Arnulfo Mascarias, conceptualized and initiated the biggest center facility in the region.
The structure on the Bicol University campus is 16,000 square meters in size.
Garbin said it will be used not only as an evacuation center but also as a conference venue. During such events, the facility can hold up to 10,000 delegates, he said.
He stated that the project was approved and funded with the amount of PHP750 million under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2018 and that they are currently awaiting additional funds to complete it.
Meanwhile, Garbin believes that because Albay is prone to disasters, it is fitting that this structure be built there.
