BAGUIO CITY (PIA) - - After a year of absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) brought back the Gawad KALASAG (KAlamidad at Sakuna LAbanan, SAriling Galing ang kaligtasan) Awards for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Humanitarian Assistance.

In the  Cordillera, Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) Chairperson and OCD – CAR Regional Director Albert Mogol led the awarding ceremony of the 2022 Gawad KALASAG Search with Department of Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary for Disaster Response Marco Bautista as the guest of honor and speaker at the Newtown Plaza Hotel, here on Friday (December 16).

Awarded with plaque of recognition for getting a rating of “Beyond Compliant” in the 2022 GAWAD KALASAG Seal for Local DRRM Councils and Offices(LDRRMCOs) are the municipalities of Bokod in Benguet and Bontoc and Sagada in Mountain Province. This award is given to LGUS that have exceeded the standards for the establishment and functionality of their LDRRMCOs.

Also awarded with the Gawad KALASAG Seal for being rated  “Fully-Complaint”   are 41  LGUs that include  City Government of Baguio; and  in the  province of Abra  are Bucay, Danglas, Dolores, La Paz, Lacub, Lagayan, Licuaan – Baay, Malibcong, Manabo, Peñarrubia, Tayum and Tubo.  

For the province of Benguet, awardees are Atok, Bakun, Buguias, Itogon, Kapangan, Kibungan, La Trinidad, Mankayan, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay; for the province of Ifugao are Alfonso Lista, Asipulo, Banaue, Hungduan and Lamut.

For Kalinga are Balbalan, Lubuagan, Rizal, Tabuk City and Tinglayan, and for Apayao are Luna and Pudtol.

For Mountain Province, awardees   are Bauko, Besao, Paracelis, Sadanga and Tadian.

Special Award was also given to SN Aboitiz Benguet as the Gawad KALASAG Private Organization Category Regional Winner.   

OCD – CAR also awarded plaque of recognition to the members of the RDRRMC and partner civil society organizations and individuals that provided valuable contributions to the aggressive, effective and sustainable DRRM – oriented governance and actions in the region.

USEC Bautista, in his keynote message, called for continuing partnership towards climate change – adaptive and disaster resilient communities in Cordillera and the rest of the country.

“The test for our resilience continues. We can only say that we have truly learned from our experience in the past disasters if we do radical actions to build back better to avoid the same impact from happening again. The long term vision of Filipinos for the future of the Philippines is for – A safer, adaptive and a disaster – resilient community,” Bautista said.

“Our mandate is clear and therefore, we must be relentless in our pursuit of building a country that is safe climate change adaptive, resilient and progressive. I challenge all of you to make Gawad KALASAG a seal of excellence for all of us,” he added

Mogol. meanwhile, outlined the important contributions of all the awardees in maintaining an excellent DRRM governance and actions in the Cordillera.

 “Our Gawad KALASAG awardees today are proof that it can be done because it has been done indeed. Cordillera has withstood the worst. Your achievements merit emulation and replication. Let the heroes of Cordillera be the exemplars of the nation,” Mogol said.

For this year, 48 LGUs composed of four provinces and 44 cities and municipalities were adjudged as beyond  compliant or fully compliant to the criteria for the establishment and operations of LDRRMCOs.

Mountain Province PDRRMC received  Gawad KALASAG Seal of Excellence as a Beyond Compliant Local Government Unit  while  the PDRRMCs of Apayao, Benguet and Kalinga received Seal of Excellence as Fully Compliant  during the 22nd Gawad KALASAG National Awarding Ceremony held earlier in Manila. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)