By Hilda Austria – PNA
DAGUPAN CITY — Barangay Malued here was awarded first runner-up in the Gawad KALASAG (KAlamidad at Sakuna LAbanan SAriling Galing ang Kaligtasan) award in the urban barangay category on Tuesday.
Chairman Filipina delos Santos of Barangay Malued attributed the award to the implementation by the barangay of different approaches in the fields of disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), innovations, projects, and capacity-building efforts.
“Mahirap pero sa pagtutulungan ng bawat isa nakuha ang tagumpay (It is difficult but with the help of one another, we were able to achieve success),” delos Santos said in an interview Wednesday.
She said among the barangay’s DRRM-related projects are tree planting activities and flood mitigation with the aid of the city government.
Projects on flood mitigation, mainly the elevation of roads, construction of the drainage system, and the rehabilitation of dikes to prevent flooding and seepage of floodwaters from the Sinocalan River, are ongoing, she added.
“We take pride in our barangay’s best practices – resilience, response and rescue, whether during emergencies or disasters,” delos Santos said.
Malued is one of the city’s flood-prone areas.
Meanwhile, one of their innovations to beat disasters is the conversion of vehicles owned by the barangay into response vehicles.
“We have converted our mini-truck into a fire truck so that it can enter narrow alleys in our sitios, while our patrol vehicle could also serve as an ambulance, in case our residents need emergency response,” she said.
The award comes with a PHP200,000 cash prize, which will be used by the barangay for the repair of the community’s fire truck and restoration of toilets in the evacuation centers, delos Santos added.
The awarding ceremony was held at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday night. (PNA)
