LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- President Rodrigo Duterte conferred the Dangal ng Bayan award to Abner Lawangen, the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management(DRRM) Officer of the municipality of Tublay, Benguet at the Malacanang Palace on Monday.

Lawangen is among the 15 individuals and groups who are this year’s exemplary public servants in the Outstanding Public Officials and Employees Search who were recognized by the Civil Service Commission and the Malacanang.

Lawangen contributed remarkable accomplishments and demonstrated exemplar leadership qualities as a municipal employee and as the Municipal DRRM Officer. He was cited for the set-up and strengthening of the DRRM programs in the municipality and engaging indigenous communities in disaster preparedness.

He spearheaded development of doable and appropriate plans and programs with clear and efficient strategies. He engaged the different audiences in discussions, planning, identification of resolutions and implementations of disaster and environmental concerns.

As a DRRM officer, Lawangen spearheaded the overhauling of the local disaster risk reduction and management and environmental conservation program into a remarkable state. He competitively supervised upgrading and implementation of DRRM and environmental conservation programs of the municipality.

He ensured prompt delivery of services of two critical offices – DRRM and environment and natural resources office despite being a "one man army" (2012 – 2014) to the people with excellence.

Lawangen also uplifted Tublay’s environmental and DRRM programs with his excellent leadership, initiative and commitment earning the best performing local government unit in environmental program by the Provincial Government of Benguet since 2012 and the Regional Gawad Kalasag Award by the Office of the Civil Defense in 2015.

For his award, Lawangen received P200, 000 cash incentive, a trophy designed by National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva, a scholarship grant, and other incentives.

During the awarding ceremonies, President Duterte said it is a virtue to sacrifice extra time for the service of their fellow men aside from their regular work hours.

“Those are the virtue that is not present in everybody’s soul, spirit,” he said.

The Civil Service Commission’s search for outstanding government workers is aimed at motivating and inspiring government employees to improve the quality of their performance and instill deeper involvement in public service. (Redjie Melvic Cawis/PIA-CAR)