Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) chief Siegfred Flaviano has nominated the Association of South Cotabato Earth Savers (ASCES) or otherwise known as Earth Savers in the Search for Outstanding Volunteers 2017.
The Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency spearheads the search in partnership with the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) as Secretariat and other national line agencies.
It has 2 major awards; the National Outstanding Volunteer Award with categories and sub-categories, namely; Individual (Youth and Adult) and Organization (Profit and Non-Profit), and Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award.
Earth Savers, which falls under the Organization (Non-Profit) category, has 44 members only during its inception but later grew to 450 members distributed in the 9 towns and lone city of South Cotabato.
Formerly called Deputized Environment & Natural Resources Officers (DENROs), it has been a partner of PEMO since 2010. It was organized to establish support groups in the different municipalities province-wide to help implement environmentally-related programs or [projects and assists in the sustainable conservation and protection of the remaining forest resources within their area of jurisdiction.
Significant accomplishments of the organization reported by PEMO include the apprehension and seizure of around 80,000 board feet of illegally cut lumber, conduct of paralegal training among its members, sustained holding of Earth Savers Day in relation to World Earth Day annual celebration every month of June, promotion of proper waste management through the organization of the Young Earth Savers Club and partnership/assistance to fellow non-government organizations.
“These accomplishments have brought significant impact in reducing the effect of climate change in the province,’ Flaviano explained.
Likewise, the Earth Savers conducted Information, Education and Communication Campaign through their Bantay Kalikasan program, Outreach Program such as supplemental feeding activity in IP communities, Capacity Development Activities (Basic Leadership and Team Building Seminar, Organizational Development and Management Seminar, Sustainability Planning Workshop), Urban Greening Program and Tree-growing activities.
The nomination form of Earth Savers was submitted last week for final evaluation.
Conferment of awards will be on December this year, according to PNVSCA, which is celebrated as National Volunteers Month.
