Four local government units in Negros Occidental have been elevated to the Hall of Fame during the 2024 Population and Development (PopDev) Awards of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) 6 (Western Visayas) at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City.
Highly-urbanized Bacolod, Cadiz, Sagay, and Talisay were recognized for their “exemplary performance in the localization of PopDev strategies and for having been recognized as Most Outstanding Local Population Office for three consecutive years from 2022-2024.”
CPD-6 Director Harold Alfred Marshall said the awardees have satisfactorily met the criteria set in the localization of PopDev strategies and showed outstanding performance in promoting and sustaining PopDev programs and innovations in their respective local government units (LGUs).
Marshall lauded the efforts of the awardees in advancing and implementing the key strategic actions of the Philippine Population and Development Plan of Action 2023-2028.
The four cities in Negros Occidental are among the eight Hall of Fame awardees in Western Visayas, along with Capiz province and its municipalities Maayon and Pontevedra, as well as Malay town in Aklan.
For 2024 alone, there are 23 recipients of the CPD-6 PopDev Awards, including those from the Negros Island Region – Negros Occidental province, component cities of Himamaylan, Kabankalan and Sipalay, and the municipality of Cauayan.
“The awards are given to LGUs with fully devolved population programs. They manage their own programs, and we give them recognition for that,” the CPD-6 chief said.
Marshall said they also continue to provide technical assistance and funding support to LGUs in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas to address concerns on various indicators such as adolescent pregnancy, nutrition, maternal mortality, and infant mortality. | PNA
