The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) revealed on Wednesday that more local government units in Eastern Visayas will receive the country’s highest recognition on disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and humanitarian assistance this year.
From just eight areas cited in 2022, the number will even triple this year as more provinces, cities, and municipalities have come up with their DRRM plans and implemented significant DRRM projects, OCD Eastern Visayas Assistant Regional Director Rey Gozon said on Wednesday.
“Out of 149 local government units in the region, 107 have submitted documents for validation, and 33 of them are qualified for final evaluation. The national team is in the process of final validation,” Gozon said in an interview.
The validation is being done ahead of the Dec. 7, 2023 awarding. Gawad Kalasag (Kalamidad at Sakuna Labanan, Sariling Galing ang Kaligtasan) Seal and Special Awards for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Humanitarian Assistance celebrates the best practices of stakeholders in DRRM.
“The increasing number of areas qualified for national evaluation this year proves that more local governments are aware of their role in DRRM. In fact, this year, we have been very busy since there have been requests from several local government units for DRRM training,” Gozon added.
In 2022, the provinces of Northern Samar and Southern Leyte; San Roque town in Northern Samar; Can-avid and Balangiga in Eastern Samar; Ormoc City and Tabango in Leyte; and Hinundayan in Southern Leyte received the disaster preparedness award.
Kalasag is the Filipino term for “shield” used by early Filipinos to protect themselves from enemies’ attacks or harmful animals. Relatedly, Gawad Kalasag was conceived to protect high-risk communities against hazards by encouraging participation of various stakeholders in designing and implementing DRRM programs.
Gozon said DRRM-related plans and activities are badly needed in the region considering its location lying on the eastern seaboard of the archipelago frequently hit by typhoons that form over the Philippine Sea. (PNA)
