BAGUIO CITY – For the second year in a row, the city government under Mayor Benjamin Magalong was awarded the 2022 Gawad KALASAG (Kalamidad at Sakuna Labanan, Sariling Galing ang Kaligtasan) Seal for Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s and Offices (LDRRMCOs) after being assessed as ‘fully compliant’ by the National DRRM Council (NDRRMC).
The City DRRM Council (CDRRMC) is chaired by the Mayor with City Mayor’s Office Chief of Staff Engr. Felipe Puzon as action officer and CDRRM Office (CDRRMO) chief Antonette Anaban as head of its secretariat.
Anaban said the Gawad KALASAG (GK) Search for Excellence in DRRM and Humanitarian Assistance was established in 1998 and is based on past experiences and lessons learned.
The GK program was transformed into the GK Seal and Special Awards for Excellence in DRRM and Humanitarian Assistance and was made mandatory in the assessment of all local government units (LGUs), she added.
“Major areas of assessment are on the structure, competency, management systems, enabling policies, knowledge management, advocacy, partnership and participation,” Anaban explained.
She disclosed that the GK Seal for LDRRMCO is envisioned to serve as a performance assessment mechanism for all LGUs as they implement the mandatory provisions of RA 10121 (An Act Strengthening the Philippine DRRM System) on the institutionalization of their LDRRMCOs, including other NDRRMC issuances.
The CDRRMC conducted several contingency workshops and updated the city’s contingency plans for earthquake and hydrometeorological hazards; conducted a Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment; formulated a Baguio City DRRM Plan for 2020-2022; CDRRM Operations Center standard operating procedure; Local Climate Change Action Plan; among other accomplishments.
Meanwhile, Anaban received a plaque of recognition from Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Dir. Araceli San Jose for “her valuable contribution as resource speaker and facilitator during the ‘Training on the Formulation of Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan held on Dec. 5 to 8, 2022 in Baguio City’”.**Gaby B. Keith
