Robredo fetes 4 municipalites, 6 cities for braving ‘tumultuous times’

Vice President Leni Robredo leads the awarding of the Galing Pook Awards 2018, which recognizes 10 outstanding local governance programs of LGUs. PHOTOS from Galing Pook Awards Foundation

Vice President Leni Robredo conferred on Thursday night the Galing Pook Awards to four municipalities and six cities, which she said has braved the “tumultuous times” the country is facing.

As keynote speaker, Robredo also conferred the 4th Jesse Robredo Leadership Award for effective, empowering and ethical leadership of a local government executive to Noel Rosal, a five-term mayor of Legazpi City, Albay.

In her speech, Robredo stressed the key role of local government units (LGUs) in testing true leadership and good governance.

She thanked the finalists for their “courage and conviction” during this “tumultuous times.”

“This is precisely what this gathering is all about. It is our brave response to the call of the times: that there are still men and women disrupting the political scene by doing extraordinary things for our people, quietly, without much fanfare,” she said.

“It may be easier to stay on the sidelines during tumultuous times such as the times we face today. But history is not made by those who choose to be always on the safe side. History is made by those who show defiant hope and fiercely fight against the tide,” the second-highest official of the land added.

Cabinet Secretary Leoncio “Jun” Evasco Jr. attended the ceremonies.

It was Evasco who sent a text message to Robredo in December to “desist” from attending the Cabinet meetings of the Duterte administration.

Galing Pook Awards

The municipality of Del Carmen in Siargao Islands, Surigao del Norte as well as Navotas City were first-time winners of the award.

Del Carmen, home of the second largest mangrove forest in Mindanao, was recognized for its social tourism program, which is transforming mangrove cutters into fisher folks and illegal fisher folks into boat guides.

Navotas, on the other hand, implemented various early childhood education and health initiatives, including “Kindergarten on Wheels,” a micronutrient supplementation and supplemental feeding program.

Repeat winners this year included the municipalities of Bindoy, Negros Oriental; Loboc, Bohol; and San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte.

Cagayan de Oro City, Iloilo City, Naga City, Tagum City, and Valenzuela City round up the top ten local government units (LGUs) recognized for outstanding local governance programs.

Now on its 25th year, Galing Pook Awards selects the best local governance practices every year and shares information on these beneficial programs for replication in other areas of the country.

The awards have cited some 319 programs from at least 200 LGUs over the years, based on their “positive results and impact, their empowerment of the people, transferability and sustainability, innovation, and efficiency of their program service delivery.”

The ten awardees are (in alphabetical order):

1. Bindoy, Negros Oriental — Ridge to Reef (R2R) Program
2. Cagayan de Oro City— “No Vote, Ibot” No More: Ending the Political Bondage in Resettlement Areas by Providing Security of Tenure
3. Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte — Siargao It Up! Mangrove Management and Social Tourism Program
4. Iloilo City — Iloilo-Batiano River Development Project
5. Loboc, Bohol— Reviving the Musical Tradition and Heritage by Empowering People through the Loboc Music Program
6. Naga City— Barangay eSkwela and Barangay Literacy Worker Program
7. Navotas City— ACHIEVE: Accessible, Holistic and Inclusive Education
8. San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte— Preserving Local Cultural Heritage
9. Tagum City, Davao del Norte — Tagumpay Works Program
10. Valenzuela City — Tayo Na Mapayapang Valenzuela: Tuloy-tuloy ang Asenso! The Valenzuela City Comprehensive Safety and Security Program

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