DAVAO CITY—Sixteen local government units (LGUs) across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were feted to a recognition ceremony that awarded them with the seal of excellence in local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM).
The awarding ceremony was held last month in Cotabato City that has one municipality from Maguindanao getting the “Beyond Compliant” award, or having provided more services and assistance than what was expected from a LGU.
The towns of Parang, South Upi, Paglat, Ampatuan, Datu Abdullah Sangki, and Sultan sa Barongis in Maguindanao; Bubong, Piagapo, and Wao in Lanao del Sur; Lamitan City and Tuburan in Basilan; and Talipao in Sulu were awarded for being “Fully Compliant.”
The highest government award “Beyond Compliant” was given to Municipality of Upi, Maguindanao del Norte.
The Jolo Emergency Rescue Network (JERN) Inc. in Jolo, Sulu was also awarded the Regional Best Government Emergency Management and Response Teams (GEMs).
Plaques of Appreciation were given to the Bangsamoro DRRM Council member agencies as well as DRRM Partners from both the public and the private sectors.
Hamid Bayao, regional director of the Bangsamoro Civil Defense pointed out that the purpose of the awarding was to emphasize that the Office of Civil Defense-BARMM (OCD-BARMM) “provides responsive, efficient and effective services related to research, planning, programming, project development and policy formulation of DRRM’s projects and activities.”
“The Gawad KALASAG is the flagship program of NDRRMC, led by the OCD-BARMM, which aims to strengthen each family, community, the institutions and establishments so that we become strong and resilient from each disaster and harm,” Bayao said.
Director General Engr. Khalif Dumagay, who represented Interior and Local Government Minister Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo, praised the awardees, saying, “you have proven that we, in the BARMM, can cope with the best LGUs in the country by working together despite complex and complicated transitions while we are currently undergoing both natural and man-made calamities.”
“In Moral Governance, we mean, we will try our very best to make sure that our decision making process and the decisions we make are geared towards one and the same goal matatag, maginhawa at panatag na buhay of Bangsamoro and the whole Filipino nation,” he added.
Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr of the Department of the Interior and Local Government congratulated all the honorees’ significant efforts and emphasized how their actions taken before, during and after the disaster have saved lives and property.
“We are all Filipinos here, working together not just during the crisis. We will never be behind because we are all competent. What is important is we help each other, and do it well,” he said.
The National Disaster Risk and Reduction Council, through the National Gawad Kalasag Committee, said there were 135 beyond compliant and 436 fully compliant local government awardees this year.