MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos conferred yesterday the 2024 Galing Pook Award on 10 local government units (LGUs) for their innovative programs that help promote environmental sustainability, child protection, education and inclusive growth.
“In these challenging times, our country needs leaders, innovators and true public servants to step forward and to lead the change – change that we will help us create a more resilient and better future for our children,” Marcos said during the awarding ceremony in Malacañang.
This year’s recipients of the Galing Pook Award are Balanga Community-based Ecotourism Zone (Balanga, Bataan); Breathing Life into the Ayta Magbukun (Bataan); Project Teaching Opportunities Prioritizing Illiteracy (Cabagan, Isabela); Kapalong College of Agriculture, Sciences and Technology (Kapalong, Davao del Norte) and Saving Kan: A Love Story In Ormoc Bay (Marine Mammal and Reptile Rehabilitation Center, Ormoc City).
Also awarded were Pag-asa sa Bagong Bahay (Pandi, Bulacan); Puerto Galera Waste Water Management (Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro); Quezon City Birth Registration Online (QC BRO) (Quezon City); Ating Dibdibin Program (Taguig City) and Safe Spaces and Safeguarding Children: Strengthening LGU-led Community-Based Child Protection in Valenzuela City (Valenzuela).
Marcos said the programs are fruits of “a collective commitment to progress,” adding “when leaders embrace creativity and resourcefulness, real change can happen.”
He cited the LGUs for coming up with solutions that address critical areas such as education, sports, health, tourism, culture and heritage and social services.
For the past 30 years, the Galing Pook Awards has recognized the transformative power of local governance in driving innovations that improve quality of life in communities.
The award was presented by the Galing Pook Foundation in partnership with SM Prime Holdings, the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Local Government Academy, Land Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Airlines, the Canadian government and the United States Agency for International Development, through the Cities for Enhanced Governance and Engagement Project.