ILOILO CITY – The zero open toilet program of the Iloilo provincial government has been awarded the 2023 Galing Pook Award which recognizes innovative programs of local government units (LGUs).
The program known as the Mobilizing Communities Through People-Centered Zero Open Defecation (ZOD) Movement Towards Sustainable Sanitation in the Province of Iloilo was feted by the Galing Pook Foundation on Thursday, October 12.
THE Iloilo provincial government was among the local government units which received the 2023 Galing Pook Awards. (Iloilo Provincial Health Office)
Implemented by the administration of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. and the Provincial Health Office, the ZOD program has led to improved health and sanitation in the 42 towns and the component city of Passi.
“This is the first Galing Pook award for the province of Iloilo and we are inspiring other LGUs in the country,” said Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, chief provincial health officer.
Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and former DILG Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, Galing Pook Foundation chairperson, said the ZOD program of Iloilo can be replicated in other parts of the country.
Quiñon said the Galing Pook award is a manifestation of the cooperation of the LGUs, especially all health workers and sanitation workers.
“This is bringing back dignity to those that do not have access to toilets. For those who cannot afford, a toilet is a luxury,” said Quiñon.
The Galing Pook award is not the first recognition for the ZOD program of the Iloilo provincial government.
Last year, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Department of Health (DOH) conferred the ZOD Grade 1 status to Iloilo.
The provincial government was cited for its program that decreased the number of water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and acute gastroenteritis especially in far-flung places.
Dr. Wendel Tupas Marcelo of the IPHO and Ruel Von Superio, chief of the IPHO, accompanied Quiñon during awarding ceremony.
The provincial government is now working to reach the Grade 2 status for ZOD which means that toilets and hand-washing facilities will be expanded to other public places.