BAGUIO CITY – Winners of this year’s Gawad Kalasag were announced by Civil Defense Cordillera in a press release last Monday April 3, 2017.
The four winners that secured the award are: University of the Cordilleras, Mt. Province, Lepanto National High School, and the Municipality of La Trinidad.
The Gawad Kalasag is a search for excellence in disaster risk reduction and management and humanitarian assistance, the regional winners mentioned above are now qualified to compete in the national level.
Regional winners of this award will receive plaques of recognition and cash prizes that can be used for disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) related activities, the cash prize for regional winners are as follows: ₱15,000 for the third place, ₱30,000 for the second place, and ₱50,000 for the first place.
The Gawad Kalasag has different categories namely Local DRRM Councils, Civil Society Organizations, People’s Organizations, Volunteer Organizations, School Category, Early Learning Centers, Government Emergency and Management Services Teams, Higher Educational Institutions, Hospital Category, Private Category for Corporate and Businesses, Heroic Act, And Special Recognition Award.
Gawad Kalasag stands for “Kalamidad at Sakuna Labanan, Sariling Galing ang kaligtasan”.
The search was launched in 1998 by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) in order to maintain support by acknowledging exceptional contributions of DRRM practitioners to strengthen their capacity to execute rescue operations during disasters and to encourage people to be ready during calamities.
By Stephen John Tenedero
