Iloilo City has won its fourth Galing Pook recognition for a disaster preparedness and emergency response program that brings public safety services closer to communities.

The city’s Iloilo City Action and Resilience (ICARe) Centers: Decentralizing Risk Governance initiative was named one of the country’s Ten Outstanding Local Governance Programs during the 2026 Galing Pook Awards at Malacañan Palace on Wednesday.

The program operates nine district-level centers that house personnel from the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Iloilo City Emergency Responders. The city government said the centers help coordinate emergency services, with response times averaging four to eight minutes.

“This award belongs to the Ilonggos. But more than the recognition, what matters most is that our people receive faster emergency assistance and are better prepared when disasters happen,” Mayor Raisa Treñas said in a statement.

The centers also serve as community learning hubs for disaster readiness and resilience training, bringing together barangays, government agencies, private-sector partners, and local communities.

According to the city government, the program has trained 91,000 people, engaged 27 volunteer groups, and established partnerships with more than 100 local and international organizations.

Iloilo City also received its first Galing Pook Resilience Award, sharing the special citation with Baguio City for integrating climate and disaster risks into local governance and strengthening community resilience.

The city previously received Galing Pook recognition for the Dinagyang Festival in 2012, the Iloilo-Batiano River Development Project in 2018, and the I-BIKE sustainable urban mobility program in 2022. (PNA)