Outstanding Cordillera DRRM awardees feted

BAGUIO CITY – Cordillera Gawad Kalasag awardees were feted here recently at Newtown Plaza Hotel Monday by Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and Office of Civil Defense. 

Leading GK awardees was municipality of La Trinidad, which aside from being a  regional awardee,  also bagged the national Gawad Kalasag award for the best regional local DRRM council – 1st to 3rd class category.

Awarded runner – ups to La Trinidad in the regional award were the municipalities of Buguias,  Benguet and Luna, Apayao  in  second  and third  places, respectively.

For best local DRRM council in the 4th to 6th class municipality category, awarded was the town of Bucay, Abra. 

For best barangay DRRM council, awardees were   Barangay Ambiong (1st place),  and Barangay Puguis (2nd place),  both  of La Trinidad. Mountain Province was named best provincial DRRM council and the  University of the Cordilleras as best higher educational institution.

The best volunteer organization were  Loacan Health Emergency Response Team of Itogon Benguet (1st) and 911 On Call Inc. Baguio City (2nd).

For best elementary school category, awarded were Paoad ES of Tublay, Benguet, 1st; Mt. Data ES of Bauko, Mountain Province, 2nd and Cagubatan ES of Tadian, also in  Mountain Province as third.

For best high school category, winners were Lepanto National High School in Mankayan, Benguet, 1^st; Banguitan National High School in Besao, Mountain Province, 2nd  and Mil – An National High School in Baguio City 3^rd.

Special recognition was also given to Itogon, Benguet Municipal Health Services Office for local government emergency management category.

Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director and OCD Administrator, assisted by OCD – CAR regional director Albert Mogol, headed awarding of plaque of recognition to the awardees.

Jalad, in his message, expressed the government’s gratitude to the awardees for their committed DRRM effort.

“It is incumbent on all of us in public service and private practice to maintain the safety and well-being of our people, defending them from all dangers be it human induce or natural. The challenge of building preparedness and resilience, as well as the rehabilitation and recovery of the stricken communities must be continuously face with the utmost resolve and commitment,” Jalad said.

 Gawad KALASAG (Kalamidad labanan at sariling galing ay kaligtasan) is an annual search that aims to give recognition to outstanding DRRM programs, as well as to encourage more participation of various stakeholders in the country’s disaster risk reduction and management landscape. -- JDP/CCD-PIA CAR