THE Central Luzon Association of Regional Officers (Claro) together with the Giant Lantern Festival (GLF) Executive Committee headed by Chairman Engr. Alex Patio on Monday promoted camaraderie among 18 government agencies by holding an inter-government agency lantern and parade competition at the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Covered Court, Diosdado Macapagal Government Center (DMGC) in Maimpis.
The competition, also known as the DMGC Lantern Festival, was first launched last 2015 by Claro as an early Christmas celebration project.
It was then adopted in 2016 by the City Government of San Fernando and the Giant Lantern Festival Executive Committee, which decided to sponsor the cash prizes for the competition, and add it to one of the activities in the "Ligligan Parul" or Giant Lantern festival.
CLARO President and Department of Science and Technology Regional Office III Director Julius Caesar Sicat said the festival promotes camaraderie and showcases the agencies’ creativity through lantern making.
The competition’s theme this year was “Stop Violence against Women and Children,” conceptualized by Neda, based on Republic Act No. 9262, the Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act of 2004.
The theme was also brought up as the competition itself happened during the annual 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW), which started last November 25 and culminate on December 12 to spread awareness among stakeholders.
The 18 participating government agencies were the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Commission on Population (Popcom), Commission on Higher Education (Ched), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Land Transportation Office (LTO), Neda, Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Postal Corporation (PPC), Overseas Worker Welfare Administration (Owwa), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
DILG bagged first place in the competition, while DENR and BFP won second and third places, respectively.
For the special awards, CSC won the most captivating citation while Neda got the Gender and Development (GAD) award, DENR grabbed most eco-friendly, BFP cited for best performance, BFAR earned most colorful, DepEd garnered most creative, and PPC took the best craftsmanship title.