BONTOC, MOUNTAIN PROVINC– Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan Jr., in his State of the Province Address (SOPA) held at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Hall, Bontoc, Mountain Province on January 10, 2017, commended the Office of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction management headed by Atty. Edward C. Chumawar for a job well done during the past typhoons and for outstanding office performance.
It is to be noted that the province reported zero casualties, only three (3) reported minor injuries, despite the onslaught of super typhoon Lawin (the strongest typhoon that hit the Philippine in three years, after super typhoon Yolanda) that placed the province under isolation and state of calamity for a month.
The governor acknowledged that the provincial government was conferred the seal of good governance in 2016 due to disaster risk reduction management, preparedness and contingency measures in time of calamities by the PDRRMO.
Meanwhile, Chumawar revealed that Mountain Province is adjudged as the second best provincial DRRM Office in the Regional Search for Gawad Kalasag award for 2016. On top of Mountain Province is Apayao DRRM Office. Their office is set to receive the award on January 18, 2017 at the Regional Office of Civil Defense, Baguio City.
The provincial government of Mountain Province is a recipient of the Gawad Kalasag Award for the year 2015 making it the only province in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) to qualify in the national level.
KALASAG stands for Kalamidad at Sakuna, Labanan, Sariling Galing ang Kaligtasan. The Gawad Kalasag Award recognizes excellence in disaster risk reduction and management and humanitarian assistance.
The award started in 1998 as a mechanism in obtaining sustained commitment and support by recognizing exceptional contributions of DRRM practitioners in strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacities of nations and communities to disaster risks.
In an interview with Chumawar, he said that the most important thing to be noted in times of disasters and calamities is the proper coordination with concerned agencies and to all the stakeholders. **Alfred F. Macalling
