CALABANGA, CAMARINES SUR (July 9, 2009) -- THIS COASTAL TOWN IN THE BIKOL REGION has been nominated as among three prospective national awardees to receive the "Gawad Kalasag" award of the (NDCC) National Disaster Coordinating Council in this yearly observance of the "National Disaster Consciousness Month".
Calabanga town Mayor Evelyn Yu bared that this town's Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MDCC) is the only nominee in the national "Gawad Kalasag" award from Luzon, after the NDCC has 'short listed' the nominees to three local government units: the Maragosan town in Compostela Valley; San Jose, Dumaguete in Antique; and Calabanga in Camarines Sur province.
Mayor Yu said that earlier this month at the launching of the "National Disaster Consciousness Month" in Legazpi City, Calabanga town MDCC was given the "Regional Gawad Kalasag" award as the "Best Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council" in the first and third class category.
Under the award's criteria of the NDCC, the Calabanga MDCC was cited for excellence in Disaster Risk Management; humanitarian assistance in preparing or responding to disasters; and recovering from disasters and similar emergencies.
The Chief executive said she received the "Regional Gawad Kalasag" award in behalf of the Calabanga MDCC last July 1, during the ceremonies held at Peñaranda Park, Legazpi City.
The disaster risk reduction (DRR) intervention by NGOs started in Calabanga in 2005 before the destructive typhoon "Reming" in Nov. 2006, with funding support from the Japanese Embassy.
Bounded in the Northwest by the Pacific Ocean, the town is consistently exposed to strong typhoons, with its coastal villages highly susceptible to floods and land erosions.