Bulacan bags ‘Gawad Kalasag’ Hall of Fame Award
CITY OF MALOLOS – The province of Bulacan has once again emerged as the Best Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) in the National Gawad Kalasag Search for Excellence in Disaster Risk Management and Humanitarian Assistance Award 2014 and has been chosen by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) as the recipient of prestigious Hall of Fame Award for being the Best PDRRMC for three consecutive years.
Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado and Vice Gov. Daniel R. Fernando accepted the plaque of recognition and cash award from National Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin and NDRRMC Chief of Operations Josefina Timoteo during the Awarding Ceremony held at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Commissioned Officers’ Club, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City, early this morning.
Alvarado said that it was a great honor for the province to be once again recognized as the outstanding PDRRMC that continues to explicit exemplary performance in the implementation of disaster risk reduction management plan and quick response in times of calamities and disasters.
“Dito natin mapatutunayan na walang sakuna o kalamidad na napalaki o napakalagim na hindi kayang harapin, daigin, lupigin at pagtagumpayan ng isang sambayanan, lipunan at pamayanang may matibay na pananalig sa milagrong maaaring gawin ng pagkakaisa at pagtutulungan,” Alvarado said.
The governor, who is also the PDRRMC Chairman, commended Mungcal and her staff at the PDRRMO as well as the Bulacan Rescue and Bulakenyo volunteers that have shown extraordinary courage, heroism, self-sacrifice, and bravery in times of natural and human-made emergencies and disasters.
According to the NDRRMC National Selection Committee, Bulacan was chosen as the recipient of the prestigious award because of the province’s systematic incorporation of risk reduction approaches into the implementation of emergency preparedness, response and recovery programs particularly on its Disaster Risk and Vulnerability Assessment and Operation Listo that continues to ensure the safety and resiliency of communities in facing hazardous situations.
Aside from the Bulacan PDRRMC, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Fire and Rescue Team was also the recipient of this year’s Gawad Kalasag for being the Best Government Management for Urban Search and Rescue (SAR) Category while the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) Inc., was hailed as Third Place Winner for the Gawad Kalasag for the GEMs Basic SAR category.
The Gawad KALASAG, which stands for KAlamidad at Sakuna LAbanan, SAriling Galing ang Kaligtasan, a search for excellence in disaster risk management and humanitarian assistance is given to individuals, non-government organizations, private sector and government organizations, in recognition of their initiative in helping the Filipino government uplift the standard of disaster management in the country.