One Province, 18 LGUs, One Preparedness Check
OZAMIZ CITY - The September evaluation covered all 18 LGUs in Misamis Occidental, including Ozamiz City, according to the Office of Civil Defense Region X update supplied for this article. The desk-evaluation stage is part of the Gawad KALASAG process, which assesses local disaster-risk-reduction and management systems rather than waiting for a disaster to reveal weaknesses. The Regional Validation Committee handled the evaluation with representatives from OCD, DOST, DILG, DSWD, DEPDev, DOH, DHSUD, DENR, DA, CHED, Philippine Red Cross, PIEP, and Xavier University. Completing the desk phase across Misamis Occidental gives the province a clearer checkpoint for reviewing how its LGUs are addressing disaster preparedness.
Preparedness Gets a Closer Look on Paper
There is something valuable about assessing disaster readiness before an emergency puts those systems under pressure. Gawad KALASAG’s Seal process looks at the establishment and functionality of local disaster risk reduction and management councils and offices, making documentation and evidence an important part of the assessment. The evaluation therefore goes beyond simply asking whether an LGU has disaster personnel or equipment; it examines whether the required structures and practices are in place. For Ozamiz, being included in the province-wide review means its disaster-management work is being considered within a formal regional process, although the September desk evaluation itself should not yet be presented as an award or final rating.
A Regional Team Behind the Review
The breadth of the validation committee is another notable part of the exercise. The September update lists agencies dealing with science, local governance, social welfare, health, housing, environment, agriculture, higher education, humanitarian assistance, environmental planning, and academe, showing why disaster preparedness cannot be treated as the responsibility of one office alone. Similar Gawad KALASAG validation work in Northern Mindanao has previously involved the same kind of multi-agency review, with Xavier University describing how regional validators examine submitted assessment tools and supporting documents. The latest Misamis Occidental exercise has now completed its desk-evaluation stage, giving the province a meaningful administrative milestone as its LGUs continue working on disaster resilience.
