Mayor Zamora receives Gawad Kalasag Seal for San Juan's disaster preparedness programs
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora received the Gawad Kalasag Seal of Excellence from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for the local government's exemplary disaster preparedness and response initiatives.
Officials from the NDRRMC conferred the award to the mayor at the San Juan City Hall.
NDRRMC said the city was tagged as "fully complaint," garnering a 2.3 rating in the 23rd Gawad Kalasag Seal for Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils and Offices category for year 2023.
It added San Juan City was generally adherent to the standards of the establishment and functionally of the LDRRMCO as prescribed in the Philippine Disasters Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 (Republic Act 10121).

The Gawad Kalasag recognizes stakeholders that implement programs for disaster risk reduction and management, climate change adaptation, and humanitarian assistance that protect high risk communities against extreme hazards.
According to the NDRRMC, local government units (LGUs) undergo a selection process for the GK Seal wherein a mandatory assessment was conducted.
LGUs who got 2.5 to 3.0 rating in the assessment were cited as “Beyond Compliant,” while those with 1.5 to 2.49 rating were “Fully Compliant."
Zamora thanked the OCD for the recognition, as well as the City DRRMO for its efforts that led for the city to get the award.
The mayor also shared that they are now setting up a new command center which will allow the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all the city's roads to intensify their monitoring efforts this year.
He added that the city will also have its own radio system for the police, fire and rescue personnel to be able to communicate efficiently and quickly respond to emergencies.
Zamora also said that the city will purchase a ladder firetruck and a hi-tech emergency response vehicle this year to help the City DRRMO during their operations.
He also thanked Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro for his trust and recognition of the city government's programs.
"We will make sure that San Juan will always be ready in times of disasters, calamity and emergency response," the mayor said.