Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda on Wednesday urged recipients of the 2023 Philippine Resilience Awards (PRA) for Women to continue being an image of resiliency and an empowered Filipina.

The awardees, she said, contribute efforts to address issues on climate change anchored in resilience-building and disaster risk reduction.

Legarda said there is still much work to be done and the country needs the unwavering commitment of these individuals to enforce the necessary laws in their respective localities and communities.

“As environmental warriors, your influence and dedication will drive positive change, foster collaboration, and build a resilient world for future generations. The challenge to all of us who understand the risks of climate change and the urgency to take action is to spread awareness and ignite more decisive action,” she said in a statement.

This year’s Philippine Resilience Awards (PRA) for Women awardees are Quezon City Mayor Maria Josefina “Joy” Belmonte; Director Alicia Ilaga of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Climate Resilient Agriculture Office; Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral; Mariano Marcos State University President Shirley Agrupis; Base Bahay Foundation Inc. President Maria Vicenta Jalandoni; Cagayan State University (CSU) President Urdujah Alvarado; Macatumbalen Community Based Forest and Coastal Management Association chairperson Nida Collado; and St. Paul’s Hospital of Iloilo administrator Arcelita Sarnillo.

“It is your role to give Filipinos hope that together, we can work toward a safer planet, free from the devastating impacts of natural disasters and climate change,” added Legarda, a United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Global Champion for Resilience.

The Philippine Resilience Awards was first conceptualized in 2013 through Legarda’s initiatives.

In celebration of the 2013 International Day for Disaster Reduction, she announced the start of the search for the Philippines’ disaster-resilient communities and launched in 2014.

It aims to recognize champions of resilience in various sectors and communities and celebrate women leaders for their achievements in climate and disaster risk reduction and resilience-building work.

This year, the PRA was revived and organized by the Senator’s office, the Climate Change Commission, the Philippine Commission on Women, the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation, the National Resilience Council, the Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction-Philippines and SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (PNA)