Bontoc is 2021 Dugong Bayani Awardee
Bontoc, Mountain Province – The Municipality of Bontoc is one of the only five LGUs in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) to be conferred the 2021 Dugong Bayani Award by the Department of Health (DOH) in partnership with the Philippine Blood Center.
The other awardees in CAR under the LGU Category are Kapangan, Balbalan, Lagawe and Asin District Health Center.
As awardees, the LGUs are expected to receive Trophy of Recognition and Appreciation, polo shirt with NVBSP design, isolation gowns, gloves, face masks, blood bag, blood lancet, blood typing Sera, hand towel with embroidered NVBSP logo, EIC materials, and foldable fan with NVBSP design.
The award highlights the municipality’s unwavering lifesaving advocacy and blood donation which the Bontoc community, civil society groups, and volunteers have done throughout the year. The virtual awarding ceremony was held on November 24, 2021, via Webex and Facebook Live.
The Dugong Bayani Award is the highest recognition given to an organization or company that conducted mobile blood donation activities.
Also, it aimed to recognize (LGUs) in the region which shows unwavering support, commitment, and active involvement in the implementation of the National Blood Services Program(NVBSP) pursuant to R.A. 7719 also known as the National Blood Services Act of
1994.
The LGUs were required to submit necessary documents to the Provincial Health Office (PHO) which will verify and review all the information and data submitted.
Each province through the PHO then selected one outstanding Municipal LGU to be its recipient of the Dugong Bayani Award.
Complying with the criteria of the DOH, the Bontoc Municipal Health Office (MHO) was chosen as the recipient of this year’s Dugong Bayani Awards in Mountain Province.
The Bontoc LGU has always been an advocate of blood donation activities.
In 2018, the Sangguniang Bayan passed Municipal Ordinance No. 302, s. 2018, “An Ordinance Establishing a Blood Donor’s Program in Every Barangay in the Municipality of Bontoc.
This is in recognition of the need to maintain a safe, quality, and accessible blood supply in saving the lives of those who need it during critical times. The ordinance aimed to promote and encourage voluntary blood donation by the public; provide an adequate, safe, and affordable supply of blood in every barangay; and inform the public of the importance of donating blood voluntarily in curbing dangers and health related problems caused by the commercial sale of blood.
According to Medical Technologist II Jocelyn Coloma of the Bontoc MHO, the collective effort of the LGU, partner government agencies, stakeholders, and blood donors led to the achievement of the award.
Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey remarked that bloodletting has always been one of the major social concerns of the Bontoc LGU recognizing that it is a noble and humanitarian need.
With this, he lauded the Bontoc MHO and its partner agencies and stakeholders not only for its support for the municipality’s COVID-19 response but also for its efforts in the implementation of the National Blood Services Act.
“It is with great joy and pride that I congratulate the Bontoc MHO for achieving accomplishment and milestone while continuing our fight against COVID19. This proves employee competence and flexibility despite the pandemic we are facing,” he added.
Also, Odsey thanked the blood donors/ volunteers for their participation in the noble cause.
“We dedicate these awards to our real heroes — our BLOOD DONORS,” the mayor mentioned. The other awardees in CAR in the Regional Line Agencies and other Stakeholders Category are Department of Public Works and Highways- Regional Office, Benguet State University, Professional Regulation Commission – Regional Office, and Police Regional Office –Cordillera.
The awardees in the Provincial Level Category are Philippine Medical Technologist Inc., Kalinga –Apayao Chapter, International School of Asia and the Pacific- Kalinga, and Kalinga State University.
Christy Mae Che-es & Alpine L. Killa
