Cebu province vies for 2007 Gawad Galing Pook award

The Cebu provincial government is among the contenders for the 2007 Gantimpalang Panglingkod Pook award, or Gawad Galing Pook, an annual awards program recognizing innovation and excellence of a program of governance of a local government.

Governor Gwen Garcia the other day said that the awards’ body panel of judges, chaired by Dr. Melwida Guevarra of the Galing Pook Foundation, will conduct an interview on December 4 about her method and program in managing and promoting economic enterprise, and cultural and socio-economic resources of Cebu province.

As Cebu vies for the award for the category of the outstanding governance program, Garcia said the inclusion of Cebu among the contenders was flattering, adding that this is an honor in itself that she would dedicate to the Cebuanos.

“We never aimed for this. Were just doing the right thing for the province of Cebu,” said the governor.

The Gawad Galing Pook awards started in 1993 under the aegis of both government and private agencies but this was later managed by the Galing Pook Foundation, established in 1998 or five years later, an independent organization to sustain and institutionalized the awards.

Since then, Central Visayas had produced two awardees: the provinces of Bohol and Negros Oriental for their outstanding governance programs. Garcia said Cebu had already vied for the award 14 years ago.

This time, it would not be Cebu province alone that is a contender but also the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center for its innovative “culture of discipline” of prisoners through dance and music.

The CPDRC management reaped international praises for staging the “dancing inmates” and later posted it on the popular website YouTube, where it drew  over five million hits last August. — Gerome M. Dalipe/RAE