THE Naval Reserve Center-Eastern Visayas (NRCen-EV) bested other reservist units of the military in an Armed Forces of the Philippines-wide competition to mark the 43rd National Reservist Week.

NRCen-EV bagged two of six awards: Best Ready Reserve Unit (Brigade Level) of the Year and Best Ready Reserve Unit (Battalion Level) of the Year – a first for the 51st Battalion.

“I give back all the honor to our reservists. Their passion, and more importantly, their willingness to act on their passion, propelled us to win these awards,” said NRCen-EV head Commander James Lugtu during the awarding ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

“Our men and women were victims of Super Typhoon Odette, too, but that did not deter them from helping other people through our humanitarian and disaster response efforts last year. They were also exposed to COVID-19, but the pandemic did not hinder our reservists,” Lugtu added.

He described the tireless efforts of the reservists under the NRCen-EV as their contribution to the unified campaign plan of the AFP Visayas Command.

"The guidance and direction from the Visayas Command, Naval Forces Central, and Naval Reserve Command have motivated our reservists to always give more than what is expected of them, to go above and beyond the call of duty, especially in times of disasters," Lugtu said.

For his part, Commander Gabriel Luis Quisumbing (Res) of the Naval Forces Reserve-Eastern Visayas said the twin wins is a reflection of the leadership of NRCen-EV and all reservists under it.

“I am so proud of the sailors and marines of Eastern Visayas for winning this AFP-wide competition,” said Quisumbing, a former mayor of Mandaue City.

The two winning reservist units are directly under Quisumbing.

Other awards given during the ceremony were Best Enlisted Personnel of the Year, two Best Reservist Officer of the Year, and Best ROTC of the Year. (PR)