Protocol on Monitoring the Safety and Welfare of UPVI Members During Emergencies and Disasters
Section 1. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the UPVI to ensure the safety and welfare of its members at all times, especially in times of emergencies.
Section 2. Coverage. – This protocol shall cover the procedures and mechanisms to be followed by the UPVI as an organization to monitor the status of UPVI members during emergencies and the conduct of rapid assessments.
Section 3. Persons of Primary Responsibility for Members Monitoring and Rapid Assessments During Disasters. – The UPVI Executive Director and the different Chapter Commanders shall be primarily responsible in accounting and monitoring the status, safety, and welfare of UPVI members during emergencies and disasters.
Section 4. Chapter Procedures and Mechanisms. – Chapter Commanders shall ensure that an effective reporting and monitoring system to determine the status, safety and welfare of their chapter members is in place in times of disaster and emergencies. The Chapter Commanders shall submit to the UPVI Executive Director a written report containing their adopted monitoring and reporting system within fifteen (15) days from receipt of a copy of this protocol.
Section 5. Monitoring and Reporting Procedures During Emergencies. – In the event of an emergency or disaster, the Chapter Commanders are primarily responsible in monitoring the status, safety and welfare of their respective chapter members. The Chapter Commanders or their designated representative shall ensure the immediate monitoring and accounting of their respective chapter members before and after the occurrence of an emergency disaster. The Chapter Commanders or their designated representative shall within three (3) hours from the occurrence of emergency submit a report to the UPVI Executive Director an initial accounting of their members along with proposed measures to provide assistance to affected members, if any.
Section 6. Members without Chapters. – The UPVI Executive Director shall ensure that an effective mechanism is in place to account for and monitor the status, safety and welfare of UPVI members without chapters within fifteen (15) days from the approval of this protocol. This provision is without prejudice to the mandate of the UPVI By-Laws for all UPVI members to be affiliated with a chapter.
Section 7. Rapid Assessment. – In the event of an emergency, the UPVI Executive Director shall immediately convene an ad hoc Rapid Assessment Team composed of available UPVI members and to be co-chaired by the Chairperson/s or his/her/their duly appointed representative/s of the UPVI committee in charge of the UPVI’s disaster risk reduction and management program. The Rapid Assessment Team shall consolidate the submitted monitoring reports, determine appropriate actions and options and recommend to the UPVI Board of Governors the measures to be adopted to address UPVI members’ needs as a result of the disaster.
Section 8. Emergency Powers. – During emergencies, the UPVI Executive Director is authorized to utilize all available resources of the organization as the circumstances would require, provided that emergency cash disbursements shall only be allowed with approval of the National Commander or, in case the National Commander cannot be contacted, by the Vice National Commander or, in case the National Commander and Vice National Commander cannot be contacted, by the Adjutant General or the Treasurer.
Approved and adopted by the U.P. Vanguard Inc. Board of Governors, 15 July 2015.
