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

NRCen-EV bagged won 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 recently-concluded 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.

Commander Gabriel Luis Quisumbing of the Naval Forces Reserve-Eastern Visayas maintained that winning the two awards “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.

Meanwhile, Lugtu acknowledged the “tireless efforts” of NRCen-EV, saying 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."

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