New civic center in Marikina to double as an evacuation center

A NEW civic center designed to double as an evacuation center in Marikina, a flood-prone city within the capital Metro Manila, was launched Sunday. 

“Finally, the construction of the Twinville civic center that we have long been wishing for is completed,” Marikina Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo said at the inauguration ceremony.

“We have conceptualized this for a long time, but it was only finished now,” she said, noting that the idea was first planned in the aftermath of typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) in 2009, which left Marikina and other parts of the capital heavily flooded.

Ondoy was the second most destructive storm in the Philippines that year, affecting around 9.3 million people.

The civic center, to be managed by officers of the residential community, has sports facilities and play areas for children. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan