Cebu Government Reboots Critical Disaster Preparedness Project
The Provincial Government of Cebu has announced the revival of the Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH), a crucial disaster preparedness and hazard-mapping initiative originally implemented during the administration of former Governor Hilario Davide III. This decision comes as the province faces significant environmental changes that require updated scientific data.
Alarming Landscape Transformation Drives Action
During an interview on Monday, November 10, 2025, Aldwin Empaces, the assistant provincial administrator, revealed that the government seeks to update the project's data to reflect dramatic changes in the provincial landscape. He presented concerning statistics from the Cebu Protected Landscape, stating that nearly 10,000 hectares—or approximately 30 percent—of the 28,000-hectare area is now utilized for various purposes rather than maintaining forest cover.
Empaces specifically highlighted areas in Barangay Sudlon and Barangay Bonbon, where land is increasingly being used for agriculture instead of preserving vital forest cover. He emphasized the urgent need to balance economic development with environmental protection, noting that these landscape alterations directly impact the province's vulnerability to natural hazards.
Connecting Environmental Protection with Governance
The push to revive Project NOAH is directly connected to recent provincial government actions. Empaces explained that Governor Pamela Baricuatro's July 28 order to review quarry operations was part of the effort to align development with scientific data and hazard assessments from the original Project NOAH reports conducted in 2017 and 2018.
This commitment to enforcement was demonstrated when, according to a SunStar Cebu report on July 29, Governor Baricuatro suspended 10 quarry operators and nine special disposal permit holders for 30 days following complaints about substandard operations. The crackdown continued with a September 4 report revealing that the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) issued formal cease and desist orders against 19 companies holding quarry and special disposal permits throughout Cebu Province.
Collaboration with Academic Experts
To ensure the project's success, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) will coordinate with the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute to review and update the previous Project NOAH data. "The landscape has changed since 2017 and 2018, so we need to seek help from the UP Resilience Office to revisit Project NOAH," Empaces stated.
The provincial capitol has already contacted Mahar Lagmay, the executive director of Project NOAH, to initiate this collaboration. Originally established in 2011 following Typhoon Sendong, Project NOAH served as the country's lead disaster risk reduction and management program under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). After being defunded in 2017 during the Duterte administration, the project is now managed by the University of the Philippines as the UP NOAH Center.
This revival represents Cebu's proactive approach to disaster management, ensuring that development decisions are informed by the most current scientific understanding of environmental risks and landscape vulnerabilities.
