Philippines: Samal awarded as best disaster prepared city
Island Garden City of Samal - The city government of Island Garden City of Samal received Gawad Kalasag Award for being adjudged as the Best Prepared City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for CY 2013 for component cities in the promotion and implementation of significant disaster risk reduction and management -climate change adaptation (DRRM-CCA) programs and innovations during the Search for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Humanitarian Assistance in Region XI at Apo View Hotel, Davao City on December 12.
The Office of Civil Defense Region XI-Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) Regional Director and Chairperson of Regional DRRMC Loreto G. Rirao spearheaded the Gawad Kalasag Awarding together with the members of the council from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources , Dept. Of Science and Technology, Dept. Of Interior and Local Government, Dept. Of Social Welfare and Development, National Economic Development Authority and the Dept.of Trade and Industry.
During the awarding ceremony, Regional Director Rirao elucidated the tasked of the regional council in overseeing, assessing the accomplishments and thereby giving recognition to the excellent efforts of the best province, city and municipal DRRMCs as well as the best volunteer organization, school and urban and rural barangay.
Rirao assured the local DRRMCs’ of regular updates from the RDRRMC’s developments relative to disaster risk reduction and management initiatives.
Earlier, before the awarding ceremony, the local DRRM officers presented their year-end annual LDRRMC accomplishments and assessment and the Regional DRRM Council XI also presented their updated implementation of RA 10121 in the region and likewise bared their current and upcoming major disaster risk reduction and management mandates and programs.
In behalf of the LDRRMOs, the Regional Alliance of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers’ (READRRMO XI) President and Igacos DRRM Executive Officer Janus O. Rafailes gave his word of challenge and commitments to further pursue concerted disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts and strengthening community resiliency to any unforeseen calamity in Davao region.
The Gawad Kalasag Award search for excellence in DRRM and humanitarian assistance were also conferred to the different bests- volunteer organization, school, rural barangay, urban barangay, 1st to 3rd class municipality, component city, highly urbanized city and best province.
Igacos Mayor Aniano P. Antalan , present during the awarding, was glad for the consistent two years best DRRMC award received by Igacos thus assured its unwavering support to the program. (Melrose Arig, CIO)