The San Juan City government will soon distribute Emergency Go Bags to public school students and teachers as part of its expanded efforts in ensuring the safety of San Juaneños when disasters and calamities strike.
According to San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, each Go Bag contains the following items:
- Raincoat
- USB rechargeable flashlight
- 5000mAh powerbank
- 12-hour glow stick
- First aid kit containing Basic Disaster Preparedness Module, emergency contact card, triangular bandage, elastic bandage, adhesive bandage strips, emergency blanket, alcohol pad, Povidone Iodine, whistle, and scissors.
The city had previously been awarded the Gawad Kalasag Seal of Excellence by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for its exemplary disaster preparedness and response initiatives.
The 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 that 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."