THREE MONTHS before she steps down, Mayor Beng Climaco has again praised all those involved in the government’s Covid-19 response, especially the medical frontliners, citing the unified efforts of everybody in fighting the pandemic.
“We thank once again the heroism and sacrifices of our medical officers and medical frontliners for their hardwork and dedication to save lives and protect our communities from the threat of the virus. You shine the light and pave the way for the eventual healing and recovery of our City,” the mayor said.
“It is clear that governance, recovery, and resiliency are a shared responsibility that is no longer the sole domain of government. Everyone should be involved in the healing and recovery process,” she added.
Climaco said because of everybody’s hard work and perseverance, the Department of the Interior and Local government has awarded the City Government the “Gawad Tanglaw sa Pandemya: Award for the Most Functional Covid-19 Task Force in Region 9 for Province/Highly Urbanized City. The DILG also awarded the local government with P50,000.
Awards
Climaco said aside from the “Gawad Tanglaw sa Pandemya” award, the Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, established by Climaco in 2013 after winning the mayoralty post, was adjudged 1st place for the “Best Highly Urbanized CDRRMC in Region IX” during the 18th Gawad KALASAG: Search for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Humanitarian Assistance Award.
The City Government was also one of the top three Gawad Kalasag National Awards Finalists for Highly-Urbanized City Category in the country and eventually won 3rd Place award with Davao City and Quezon City, as first placer and second placer on the same category, respectively.
The mayor said over the years, the City Government is now the consistent Top 1 Performing City in the Regional Disaster Preparedness Index by the DILG highlighting indicators on greater awareness for disaster preparedness across all sectors, public and private, aspects of disaster preparedness, resilience, mitigation efforts, social vulnerability, and hazard exposure, and providing a means to encourage communities to improve their preparedness efforts among others.
Gawad KALASAG is the country’s premier annual awards for outstanding contribution in the fields of disaster risk reduction and management and humanitarian assistance. It is the principal mechanism by which the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council advances awareness of the best practices of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and humanitarian response and action.
“As part of our formidable legacy in disaster preparedness, we are constructing the DRRM Building with Command Center at Cabatangan which will serve as the command, control and coordination unit on all emergency’s response in the city. With our contingency plans in place for various hazards and the trainings our personnel underwent, we are now reaping the benefits of an overall local preparedness capability,” Climaco said.
All these awards have over shadowed and effectively crashed the political propaganda of the opposition councilors who are allied of defeated mayor Celso Lobregat and Rep. Mannix Dalipe who criticized the purchases of equipment by the Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
Climaco went
on to elaborate the humungous assistance her administration provided to all
sectors of the society, especially the poor, the senior citizens and the
vulnerable sectors in this time of the pandemic.
“As part of
our reintegration response during the pandemic, the assistance provided by the LGU extends even after recovery
from Covid-19. Survivors (of Covid-19) were given welfare goods and cash
assistance to also help them get back on their feet. We have also allocated more than P107 million for our Local Social
Amelioration Program – our own version of cash assistance extended to various
sectors in the City whose livelihood and jobs were badly hit by the pandemic,”
she said.
Climaco said while her political foes were busy in spreading fake
news and black propaganda in different barangays instead of helping, she on the
other hand was immersed in helping the poor, those begging for help and crying
for mercy.
“I met with farmers and fisherfolks, restaurant workers and sales personnel working in malls and department store, resort workers, workers in spa, barber shops and beauty salons, members of the entertainment and events industry, jeepney and tricycle drivers, LGBTQIA members and many others who received our cash assistance – all grateful to the ayuda given to them,” Climaco said.
“Indeed, we are no strangers to crises, but we are all witnesses on how the Covid-19 pandemic has tested and pushed us to our limits. We cannot help but yield in humility, trusting the expertise of our medical frontliners to guide and focus our efforts to save lives. We rest our Covid responses on the fixed fulcrum of science, ready to pivot, adjust, and recalibrate as the situation demands, but also tempered on compassion and love for our family, community, and city,” she added.
Climaco, who is running for congresswoman in District 1, said the deadly Covid-19 respiratory disease remains to be an ongoing and evolving challenge, adding: “Each day brings us closer to the day where we win but until then, we must all take up the shared responsibility of protecting our community. Observing the minimum health standards and getting vaccinated – these are all keys to moving forward in the new normal.”
She added: “Above all, we yield to our
faith – that God will sustain us and deliver us. We will soon lift our curfew
and allow children and their families to go out and enjoy the beauty of the
City through our public parks and the many businesses and new destinations that
opened up. We will all once again see children going back to our schools and
our people exercising their faith in their places of worship.” (Zamboanga Post)
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