Town gets $50,000 prize: San Francisco wins UN award

CEBU, Philippines - The municipality of San Francisco on Cebu’s Camotes Islands has won the 2011 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction.

For winning the award, San Francisco will receive a grant of $50,000 (P2.1 million), which will be used for the town’s Two Million Trees project.

The project aims to rehabilitate the watershed of the town. It also supports the town’s Food for Work project.

The Sasakawa Award “is a symbol of excellence and outstanding achievement in environmental inspiration and action,” said the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which sponsors the prize. The UNEP gives awardees “prestige, publicity and financial support.”

Last year, San Francisco was chosen the model in the campaign for the reduction of disaster risk in the country organized by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).

“This achievement brings great pride to the Philippines as it conveys that local governments successfully take the lead in building the resilience of communities against disasters and climate change,” said Senator Loren Legarda.

Legarda is the UNISDR “first champion” for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific.

San Francisco Vice Mayor Alfredo Arquillano was one of the three presenters from the Philippines during the Southeast Asia Regional Consultation Workshop on Strengthening Climate Resilience in Bangkok, Thailand on September 23, 2010.

Legarda said San Francisco, which is vulnerable to natural hazards as it is located in an open sea, greatly deserves such award because of its innovative programs aimed at reducing disaster risks, particularly through empowering the citizens and strengthening the community.

The town’s initiatives met the 10-point checklist of the UNISDR, which covers sustainable municipal development and uplifts the economic condition of the poor.

Arquillano has promoted biking activities and gives importance to strong solid waste management implementation.

He also installed solar power to remote barangays, set up water impounding dams, rehabilitated mangrove areas and established marine sanctuaries for the recovery of corals.

San Francisco is the 2009 and 2010 recipient of Cebu province’s Expanded Green and Wholesome Environment that Nurtures (E-GWEN) award because of its proper solid waste management.

“I am deeply inspired by the municipality of San Francisco’s pioneering initiatives on environmental protection, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation,” Legarda said.

She added that the effective leadership of Mayor Aly Arquillano and Vice Mayor Alfredo Arquillano will stir local government action, not only in the Philippines, but in the world.

Aside from the World Health Organization Sasakawa Health Prize and the UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize, the United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction is one of three prestigious prizes established in 1986 by Ryoichi Sasakawa, the founding chairman of the Nippon Foundation. — /LPM (FREEMAN)