QUEZON CITY, May 5 (PIA) --- Age and size do not matter when one is bound to save someone during an emergency situation as in the case of the youngest ever Gawad KALASAG awardee.
Edmund Jon Nipay was cited for his act of heroism after he saved his grandmother from a fire that razed their house.
Edmund Jon is one of the awardees of the 17th Annual Gawad KALASAG: Search for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Humanitarian Assistance on 2nd May at the Chardonnay by Astoria, Pasig City.
Edmund Jon, the youngest among the awardees, was bestowed with the Heroic Act in the Individual Category by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
According to Edgardo Nipay, Edmund Jon’s father, he and his wife Rose left for Jones Public Market that morning of the incident that happened two years ago, to sell merienda or snacks during a power interruption in their community.
The father added that their son usually comes along with them to the market but insisted to stay with his 6 year old grandmother, Adoracion Nipay on that day.
Lola Adoracion was paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair after suffering a stroke in 2013. She lives alone in the house where Edmund Jon stayed with her on the day of the incident.
When the power was restored at the Nipay’s residence, the sudden surge of electricity caused fire that prompted Lola Adoracion to tell her grandson to run out of the house and save himself.
While the fire was razing, Edmund Jon pushed his grandmother’s wheelchair outside the house to safety. Fortunately there were neighbors outside to help them.
“Tinulak ko po iyong wheelchair kasi po ayaw ko siyang mamatay” says Edmund Jon.
Though scared, he ran back to the burning house to retrieve his grandmother’s eyeglasses and phone.
“Kailangan po ng Lola ko iyong salamin niya at cellphone para makahingi ng tulong kaya po bumalik ako para kunin iyon,” Edmund Jon said.
Gawad KALASAG is the country’s premier annual awards for outstanding contribution in the fields of disaster risk reduction and management and humanitarian assistance.
It is the principal mechanism by which the NDRRMC advances awareness of the best practices of DRRM and humanitarian response and action.
Moreover, it aims to appreciate individuals, groups or institutions which have shown extraordinary courage, heroism and sacrifice in times of emergencies, be it natural or human-induced.
Aside from Nipay, this year’s awardees include seven (7) Best Local DRRMCs; one (1) Best Civil Society Organization; eleven (11) Private/Volunteer Organizations, Government Emergency Response Management, Schools and Hospitals; five (5) Heroic Act/Deed during Emergency Response and Rescue Operations; three (3) Special Recognitions; and six (6) Hall of Fame.
Since its inception in 1998, the Gawad KALASAG award has been bestowed to 127 Local DRRMCs, 44 NGOs, 27 individuals and 135 groups/institutions. (PIA-NCR/RJB/SDL)
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