THE Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) in Northern Mindanao has named individuals and institutions in the region who are recipients of the 2018 Regional Gawad Kalasag Awards, an annual award recognizing groups who rendered outstanding contribution in disaster risk reduction and humanitarian assistance.
For five consecutive years now, Cagayan de Oro's disaster risk reduction and management council (DRRMC) is once again named as the Best DRRMC in the highly urbanized city category. Oro Rescue was also hailed as the Best Government Emergency Management or GEM.
Misamis Occidental bagged the Best Provincial DRRMC, Valencia City as the Best City DRRMC in the Component City category, Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte as the Best Municipal DRRMC for the 1st-3rd Class Municipality, Bacolod, Lanao del Norte as the Best MDRRMC for the 4th-6th Class Municipality, and barangay Demologan, Bacolod town, Lanao del Norte as the Best Barangay DRRMC.
The Best Early Learning Center in the Urban Category goes to Gingoog City's barangay 18 Child Development Center. The civil defense also named Airport Village Elementary School in Malaybalay City as the Best Public Elementaary School, Bukidnon National High School as the Best Public High School, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Montessori School as the Best Private High School, and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan as the Best Higher Education Institution.
The Best Hospital recognition was given to Mayor Hilarion Ramiro Sr. Medical Center in Ozamis City, while the ECOWEB Inc., was named as the Best Civil Society Organization.
Chief Superintendent Domingo Tambalo bagged the 'Heroic Act' award, while Susan Olana garnered a Special Recognition Award.
Gawad Kalasag is the principal mechanism by which the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council advances awareness of the best practices of DRRM and humanitarian response and action.
It also aims to appreciate individuals, groups or institutions which have shown extraordinary courage, heroism and sacrifice in times of emergencies, be it natural or human-induced.