The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has bestowed its highest disaster resilience honor to Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, for his ‘remarkable dedication’ initiatives in the field of disaster risk reduction and management and his advocacy for community resilience.
Undersecretary Ariel F. Nepomuceno, head of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and NDMRRC executive director conferred to Salceda the “Dangal ng Pilipino sa Pagtataguyod ng Pribado at Pampublikong Katatagan’ at the Award Hall of Fame of the Philippine Disorder Resilience Champions during the culminating activities of the 36th National Disaster Resilience Month (NDRM) on July 31, in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
The ‘Dangal Bantayog ng Katatagan’ award is envisioned by the NDRRMC as the Philippines’ highest disaster resilience honor, launched last year in line with the observance of the NDRM. It seeks to recognize outstanding contributions of individuals who brought significant and long-term impacts to the development of the country’s DRRM system.
The award specially cited Salceda’s “significant contributions that include the establishment of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) and the Climate Change Academy in Albay.”
“Under his leadership, the province received the Galing Pook Award for Outstanding Governance Program on Disaster Preparedness and the Gawad Kalasag Hall of Fame Award for Best Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for three consecutive years,” the citation noted.
Salceda’s contributions have been recognized internationally. He was honored as the First Senior Global Champion of Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) and appointed as a member of the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
Adhering to the zero-casualty principle, he consistently implemented a variety of programs aimed at enhancing community resilience through capacity and preparedness building during his three terms as Albay governor, and even during his terms as legislator, many of his efforts were directed towards ensuring environmental protection and achieving sustainable development, the citation further noted.
His dedication to championing local DRRM is commendable and serves as a noteworthy example for others to follow, it added.