ANGELES CITY — The city government here, under the administration of Mayor Carmelo ‘Pogi’ Lazatin Jr., has been declared as fully compliant in the 2023 Gawad KALASAG (KAlamidad at Sakuna LAbanan SAriling Galing ang Kaligtasan) Seal and Special Awards for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Humanitarian Assistance.
The award was received by Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (ACDRRMO) Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Simeon on behalf of Mayor Lazatin on December 20, 2023 at Fontana Convention Center, Clark Freeport Zone.
This is the second Gawad KALASAG award received by Angeles City under the leadership of Mayor Lazatin.
The last time that this award was achieved by Angeles City was in 2019.
“Sunud-sunod po ang mga natatanggap nating mga awards na nagpapatunay lamang po na kinikilala po ng national government ang mga programa po natin lalong lalo na pagdating sa disaster preparedness and mitigation,” Lazatin said.
Further, Lazatin also acknowledged the efforts and hardwork of the ACDRRMO headed by Simeon for ensuring that Angeles City is a disaster-prepared city.
It is during the time of Mayor Lazatin where flagship programs for disaster were utilized and materialized such as the installation Early Warning System (EWaS), improvement of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the Angeles City Emergency Disaster Command Center, inauguration of newly-improved main evacuation center of the city in Barangay Mining, distribution of trauma bags in all barangays and public schools in the city, and daily deployment of ambulances in strategic places to limit the response time to 10-15 minutes.
“Napakalaki po ng suporta ng ating Mayor Pogi pagdating sa paghahanda sa sakuna, kaya nagpapasalamat po ang buong ACDRRMO sa walang humpay na suporta sa aming opisina,” ACDRRMO Chief Simeon said.
“Maasahan po ng ating mga kababayan na ang buong ACDRRMO ay nakahanda at nakatutok sa ano mang sakuna o aksidente na ayaw naman nating mangyari,” Simeon added.
The Gawad KALASAG covered major categories and special recognitions for government agencies and institutions, local government units, civil society organizations, private sectors, and individuals who have engaged in the promotion of inclusive DRR-Climate Change Adaptation.
The concept of Gawad KALASAG was adopted from the Filipino term for shield, ‘kalasag’, used by early Filipinos as a means of protection from attacks of enemies or harmful animals.
It was established as the country’s premier recognition scheme to various stakeholders that design and implement DRRM programs that protect and shield high risk communities against hazards and render them more capable of addressing their vulnerabilities and coping from disasters.
