THE city government of Baguio has received accolades in the 23rd Gawad KALASAG (Kalamidad at Sakuna Labanan, Sariling Galing ang Kaligtasan) seal and special awards for excellence in disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and humanitarian assistance for calendar year 2023.
Out of seven categories, Baguio’s local government was nominated for and awarded the gold plaque for the GK Seal for Local DRRM Councils and Offices, having been found to be “beyond compliant,” or excelling past the minimum standards for compliance with the award.
This is a level above the previous year’s rating of only “fully compliant,” which under the annual GK awards is only deserving of a silver plaque.
Baguio is among 10 local governments in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) to achieve a gold plaque performance under the GK criteria, which is a totality including evaluations of DRRM council competence, implementation of policy for DRRM, advocacy and knowledge-building, management, structure, and utilization of partnerships with other parties.
While the DRRM category for GK awards does not have a direct cash incentive unlike other categories, winning a gold plaque in the category will merit an automatic pass for disaster preparedness ratings for evaluation in the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) the subsequent year.
Additionally, local government units that manage to achieve a gold plaque in the DRRM category will be prioritized for the allocation of DRRM funding in the following year.
