NDRRMC executive director Benito Ramos
MANILA, Philippines – Retiring National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director Benito Ramos was awarded by the Department of National Defense on Monday at Camp Aguinaldo in recognition for his service to the disaster agency.
In the ceremony led by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Ramos was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Medal for his contribution to the agency as Executive Director of the NDRRMC and at the same time as Administrator of the Office of Civil Defense.
“As NDRRMC Executive Director, Ramos spearheaded the conduct of a series of inter-agency meetings on some major natural calamities and disasters and non-typhoon related disasters that occurred in the country for the last three years, which included typhoon Sendong and the northeast monsoon over Northern and Central Luzon and the tail-end of a cold front over Southern Luzon, flashfloods, landslides, sea mishaps and storm surges in 2011 and the occurrence of earthquakes, one plane crash in Masbate involving the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, and two southwest monsoon which affected regions I,III, IV-A, IV-B, NCR and CAR in 2012,” part of the citation read.
Also awarded with the Outstanding Achievement Medal in the ceremony were Senior Military Assistant Brig.Gen Hernando Iriberri and Chief of Office for Defense Reforms Brig. Gen. Crisostomo Nayve. Both will be reassigned to different units, with Iriberri as Brigade Commander to Army 501st Brigade in Abra and Nayve as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, Electronics and Information Systems at Camp Aguinaldo.
In an interview with reporters after the awarding ceremony, Gazmin described Ramos as “one of a kind.”
Ramos, who assumed the post at the NDRRMC in 2010, filed his resignation early this month saying that he has to attend to his wife who is suffering from complications of diabetes.
“Pangatlong beses na nga itong resignation na ito sa akin. It started 2011 nung sinabi nyang may sakit yung misis nya, sabi ko binibigyan naman kita ng pagkakataong umuwi. Another one 2012 tapos itong huli nga itong 2013 na. Finally I said yes because sabi nya malala na yung sakit ng misis nya, yung sister-in-law nya namatay din because of the same disease… naapektuhan na yung mata, so I cannot say no, being a family man myself I cannot afford to say no,” Gazmin said.
No one has been designated to replace Ramos whose retirement will take effect February 1. Retired Army general Eduardo del Rosario, who spearheaded Task Force Kalihim that was in charge of the search and retrieval operations for Robredo and his companions, has been recommended for the post.
“Actually, General del Rosario is an understudy to take over, he will still have to go through the process, I will still have to talk to the President about it,” Gazmin said.