ILOILO City – A school, a hospital and a volunteer firefighting group from Western Visayas earned national recognition for excellence in disaster management and humanitarian assistance.
They bested other regional contenders in their respective categories in the Search for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Humanitarian Assistance, or Gawad Kalasag.
The Amity Volunteer Fire Brigade in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental was recognized as the Best Volunteer Organization; Capiz State University in Roxas City, Capiz, Best Higher Educational Institution; and St. Anthony Hospital, also in Roxas City, Capiz, Best Private Hospital, said Office of Civil Defense regional director Jose Roberto Nuñez.
They were conferred the awards during a ceremony on Dec. 4 at the AFP Theater in Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
An annual search for excellence in DRRM, Gawad Kalasag was designed to encourage participation in crafting and implementing DRRM-related policies, strategies and programs to protect hazard-prone communities from the adverse impact of natural and man-made calamities.
Each of the winners received a P300,000 cash prize and a plaque of recognition.
Nuñez, also the chairman of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, credited the achievements to the “good coordination” with and better information dissemination to stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
He vowed that the OCD and the RDRRMC will continue to strengthen the region’s capabilities in disaster risk reduction and management.
Moreover, Nuñez encouraged its partner agencies and private sector to “harmonize” their disaster management measures, and assured that his agencies were ready to train and assist them./PN
