World's Biggest Earthquake Response Simulation Exercise

The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group  (INSARAG) Asia-Pacific Earthquake Response Simulation Exercise jointly organized by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) took place at the Subic Freeport Zone last April 15-17, 2008.  This was the world's biggest INSARAG Exercise ever organized with 18 conutries, 52 organizations and over 270 individuals participated.

The objectives of the execise are to familiarize key government agencies on INSARAG concepts, tools and mechanisms; test government's policies and protocols on international humanitarian assistance; build capacities of national Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams including interface with international USAR teams who will test INSARAG methodologies; test operational capacity of a field-based NDCC Emergency Iperations Center (NDCC-EOC) and; test cluster coordination mechanisms in a destructive earthquake scenario.

The Exercise scenario was culled from the results of the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS) completed in 2004 by PHIVOLCS, MMDA and JICA.  Secretary of National Defense and NDCC Chairman, Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. has explicitly stated the need to undertake regular preparedness activities with clearly defined objectives given the susceptibility of the country to natural hazards suchas earthquakes.  He added that mitigation and preparedness remains as the most effective strategies in minimizing the adverse effects that hazards could potentially bring about.  But preparedness cannot happen overnight, we need to understand our individual responsibilities and deliverables beforehand, we need to know protocols and procedures to be able to coordinate our efforts, and more importantly, we need to rehearse and practice how to carry out our work and keep doing it with regularity before disaster strikes again.  We need to invest time, effort and resources to achieve a respectable level of preparedness.  Response preparedness is the least that we can do for our countrymen who could become victims of disasters in the future

Office of Civil Defense Administrator and NDCC Executive Officer, Glenn Rabonza said that this was the second INSARAG Exercise in the country, the first was held last January 2004.  He said that what made this Exercise a more challenging and a responsive one was the inclusion of the cluster coordination mechanism in the activity.  It can be recalled that the Cluster Approach, derived from the UN Humanitarian Response Reform efforts at the global level, was adopted in the Philippine Disaster Management System on May 10, 2007 through the issuance of NDCC Circular No.5.  The Cluster Approach ensures predictable leadership in all sectors or areas of work, ensures accountability of organizations doing humanitarian work, and offers inclusivity to potential partners in the different sectors like food, health, water and sanitation, shelter, etc.

The cluster coordination component of the Exercise tested the effectiveness of our coordination with government counterparts during critical periods and emergencies.

Mr. Kasidis Rochanakorn, Director of UNOCHA in Geneva, Switzerland under whose office is the INSARAG Secretariat also attended this three-day Exercise.