ILOILO CITY — Civil Defense Deputy Administrator for Operations Nicanor E. Faeldon has underscored that disaster management is everybody’s concern.
In his keynote address during the 20th Gawada Kalasag (Kalamidad at Sakuna Labanan Sariling Galing ang Kaligtasan) regional awards held at the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) here on Friday, Faeldon said that disaster management transcends religion, political beliefs and “whatever we have in our life.”
“If we do not address it na lahat tayo (all of us), we are going to fail our constituents and when we fail our constituents, we are going to put them further to the miseries of their lives,” he said.
However, he said, due to that desire to protect them, “we do not want to call those hard decisions.”
“Not calling those hard decisions will put them further in harm’s way,” Faeldon added.
He also urged stakeholders to “ponder” on what improvement had been done in disaster management after 20 years.
“I tried to look at the statistics, I don’t know if we are improving in our reporting compared to several years back but the expenditures of the government in managing disaster is continuously growing up,” he said.
Meanwhile, entries from Negros Occidental and Capiz bagged most of the awards during the regional Gawad Kalasag.
Entries from Negros Occidental won the best disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) council for the independent-component city represented by the Bago City DRRM council; barangay DRRM committee (rural) by Barangay Busay, Bago City; best primary school, Gen. Juan A. Araneta Elementary School, Bago City; and special recognition for Local Government Emergency Management (GEM) and Response Teams to Bago City.
The province of Capiz won the best municipal DRRM council for fourth to sixth class, represented by the town of Dumalag; best higher educational institutions by the Capiz State University in Roxas City; best hospital (local government unit) by the Bailan District Hospital in Pontevedra town; best hospital (private) represented by the St. Anthony College of Roxas City, Inc; and special recognition for the private sector (business/corporate) won by the Robinsons Place in Roxas.
Meanwhile, the province of Aklan won the best provincial DRRM council and the town of Banga for best municipal DRRM for first to third class category.
Bacolod City won the best city DRRM for highly-urbanized city while the Amity Volunteer Fire Brigade based in Bacolod bagged the best volunteer organization award.
In Iloilo, the Granada National High School-Ballesteros Campus in Carles and Barangay Nalundan Day Care Center in Guimbal town won the best secondary public high school and early learning center categories, respectively.
Iloilo City’s Barangay Buntatala won the best barangay DRRM committee for urban category while the Diocesan Social Action Center in San Jose, Antique was awarded best civil society organization.
Celeste R. Milan, chief planning section of Office of Civil Defense 6 (Western Visayas) and Gawad Kalasag focal person, said that the annual award was initiated in 1998 in recognition of the National DRRRM council in its search for excellent DRRM and humanitarian assistance.
“It was conceived to encourage participation of various stakeholders in advocating and implementing disaster risk reduction and management programs aimed at protecting high-risk community against hazards,” she said.
The champion received PHP50,000 and a plaque while the second and third placers also brought home PHP30,000 and PHP15,000, respectively.
Three regional winners – St. Anthony’s College, Capiz State University and the Amity Volunteer Fire Brigade – also made it to the national finals. (Perla Lena/PNA)
