La Union Honors Top LGUs for Disaster Resilience

CALASIAO, PANGASINAN, Philippines — The provincial government of La Union recognized outstanding local government units (LGUs) for their exemplary disaster preparedness and emergency response through the inaugural Resilience and Emergency in Disaster: Sustainable and Ecologically Adaptive LGUs (RED SEAL) Award. The RED SEAL Award recognizes LGUs that demonstrate exemplary, sustainable, innovative, and ecologically adaptive practices in disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), while supporting projects that strengthen local resilience. During the awarding ceremony on Friday, July 24, the City of San Fernando was named the 2026 RED SEAL Gold Awardee, receiving P1 million worth of capacity-building initiatives, structural projects, or disaster response equipment. The municipality of Naguilian received the Silver Award and P750,000 for disaster mitigation projects, while Bacnotan, the Bronze Awardee, received P500,000 for similar initiatives. Meanwhile, Balaoan received the Basic Water Rescue (BAWAR) training package, and Burgos was awarded the High-Angle Search and Rescue (HASAR) training package to further strengthen their emergency response capabilities. The provincial government also presented Plaques of Appreciation to all participating LGUs in recognition of their commitment to advancing disaster resilience across La Union. Introduced for the first time this year, the RED SEAL Award highlights programs and projects that effectively address local disaster risks, encourage community participation, achieve measurable results, and demonstrate the potential for sustainability and replication in other communities. The awarding ceremony was held at the Speaker Pro Tempore Francisco I. Ortega Convention Center in the City of San Fernando, La Union. /cb