• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The cities of Cadiz and Bago in Negros Occidental were among the top 10 local government units (LGUs) in the country who are recipients of this year’s Walang Gutom Awards of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Galing Pook Foundation.
The awards for Cadiz and Bago cities were received on Wednesday (June 26) by their respective local chief executives, Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. and Mayor Nicholas Yulo, from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Secretary Rex Gatchalian during the awarding ceremony held at Malacañan Palace in Manila.
Escalante and Yulo each received P2 million funding allocation from the agency’s Sustainable Livelihood Program.
Cadiz was awarded for its Project PAT-BAGSIK (Pagkaon Aton Tatapon-Bata Aton Giyahan sa Iya Kaalam) – a holistic approach to sustainable food security.
Escalante said Project PAT-BAGSIK was a “twin-track” approach in solving both hunger and poverty in Cadiz City.
“It’s also a whole-of-the-government approach that enhances integration, coordination, collaboration and the overall capacity to address interconnected issues in food security, poverty, hunger and malnutrition,” he added.
It’s a “womb-to-tomb” initiative to take care not just the health, but almost the total well-being of Cadiznons from all walks of life.
In 2010, Project PAT was conceptualized by then-mayor Patrick Escalante just as a feeding program in all public elementary schools in Cadiz with 25,000 kid beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, Yulo said that the award given by the national government is a validation of the sustained efforts of the Bago City government in implementing programs and projects bannering the welfare and well-being of every Bagonhon.
Bago’s “Food Staples Sufficiency Program” was chosen based on a comprehensive set of criteria including its impact on food security and nutrition, engagement of communities, innovation, resilience, sustainability, and efficiency in service delivery.
“While we took up the cudgels for the President’s call to end hunger, it is a challenge to sustain and improve further on their programs,” he said.
He added that more than the recognition, the award will further motivate the city government to continue pushing forth food sufficiency initiatives “as we aim to alleviate the lives of our people and as we look forward to achieving a food-secure and hunger-free Bago City.” | GB
