TACLOBAN CITY – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Eastern Visayas has successfully concluded its Gawad Kalasag (GK) Seal and Humanitarian Assistance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Caravan across all six provinces in the region.
From January to February, OCD-8 personnel visited each province in partnership with Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices and Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers’ Associations. The caravan aimed to assist local government units (LGUs) in preparing their documents for the GK Award.
During the activity, OCD-8 provided a comprehensive visual guide outlining the necessary means of verification (MOVs) required for submissions, along with instructions on properly organizing and packaging supporting documents based on the 2024 GK guidelines and checklist.
This initiative seeks to streamline the submission process, ensuring LGUs can effectively present their DRRM practices and supporting documents in a well-structured manner.
OCD-8 has been conducting the caravan since 2022 to guide LGUs in refining their entries and ensuring smooth submissions.
As a result, the number of GK award submissions increased from 105 in 2023 to 139 in 2024, with the number of awardees rising from 31 to 87 within the same period.
In addition to assisting LGUs, OCD-8 also conducted caravans for the Special Awards Category under the GK program. This category recognizes critical institutions such as hospitals, higher education institutions, organizations, and government emergency response teams for their contributions to disaster risk reduction and management.
Potential awardees were visited and given an overview of the GK process, along with technical assistance on category-specific checklists and formatting guidelines.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
