Children International (CI) Tabaco was awarded the Gawad Kalasag for excellence in humanitarian assistance of a non-government organization (NGO).
The agency bested other NGOs in the country in its category after winning in the regional level. After a series of document reviews, evaluation, and field validation, CI Tabaco’s efforts and contributions particularly during the wake of typhoon Reming were recognized with the prestigious award. Among its disaster response efforts, the agency highlighted the housing repair assistance it extended to families in its covered areas whose dwellings were ravaged by the typhoon.
Gawad Kalasag is part of the advocacy spearheaded by the National Disaster Coordinating Council to encourage participation of various stakeholders in designing and implementing disaster risk management (DRM) programs. It promotes sustained commitment and the spirit of volunteerism among agencies and individuals to provide much needed help during the response phase of DRM.
Agency Director, Pio Salvador and Health Coordinator Milarosa Aranas received the award last August 1 at the Malacañang Palace. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presented the award.
For 26 years, CI-Tabaco has been serving the marginalized sector through child sponsorship. Its covered areas include both mainland and island communities in Tabaco, Bacacay, Cagraray, and Batan in the province of Albay. It is one of the four standard operating agencies of the organization in the Philippines.
Established in 1936, CI is a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. CI’s programs benefit hundreds of thousands of sponsored children and their families in nine countries around the world, including Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, the Philippines and the United States. For more information about CI, visit www.children.org
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presents the Gawad Kalasag award to Agency Director Pio Salvador, who is joined by health coordinator, Milarosa Aranas.
