Project VIPER, enhancing Cavite’s capacity on disaster preparedness and response

Aimed to enhance the capacity of Cavite to prepare and respond to the Big One to lessen its impact on lives and properties, as well as facilitate meaningful participation among different stakeholders, Project VIPER (Vulnerability and Impact Reduction to Earthquake) successfully came up with the contingency plan for the province. Its success paved way for a confab that served as an avenue for presentation of accomplishments and challenges during the project journey through a Sharing of Lessons Learned Event held on August 14, 2018 in Bali Resort, Tagaytay City.

The sharing event celebrated the results of Project VIPER and took stock of the lessons learned throughout the almost year-long journey. Such development of coordination mechanism in the province involving civil society organizations will help link Cavite’s contingency plan to Metro Manila’s contingency plan.

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers of all LGUs in Cavite who were involved in crafting the province’s CP on the Big One were invited along with the Provincial DRMM Council. Other neighboring provinces in CALABARZON were also present at the end of project even to learn from Cavite’s experience and discuss possible ways forward.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Cecil Miranda expressed how proud the province is for the accomplishments of project VIPER, making a consortium, a contingency plan and a coordination mechanism all possible for Cavite through participatory processes in only a year.

Project VIPER developed from the “Big Preparedness: One Cavite” colloquium held in July 2017 where Cavite LGUs, the Provincial Government and select Civil Society Organizations identified actions to better prepare for the impacts of the “Big One”. The Big One is a 7.2 magnitude earthquake scenario triggered by the West Valley Fault.

The project was planned by the consortium formed after the 2017 colloquium.  The consortium is composed of the Provincial Government of Cavite, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Philippines and Humanitarian Leadership Academy Philippines.

“Indeed, when people… work together, everything is possible,” Dong Waña, Center Director of the Humanitarian Leadership Academy Philippines acknowledged.

Tom Pignon noted “The work does not end here, Cavite’s contingency plan is but a small contribution to the resilience of the country that we are all hoping for. We look forward to more of these initiatives.”

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, led project VIPER in close coordination with the Office of Civil Defense CALABARZON Region. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency coordinated the project with support from the Humanitarian Leadership Academy Philippines and ADRA Czech.