Edren Llanillo, a resident of Bugallon, Pangasinan, remembers how unprepared his community was for medical emergencies years ago. As someone who has lost loved ones when immediate help wasn’t readily available, he vowed to build an emergency response movement so that no family will ever face what his family went through ever again.
His advocacy, the Go Bike Project, empowered the youth and volunteers in his hometown to become a mobile emergency community resilience unit on disaster preparedness, basic healthcare services, risk communication, and public education. Known as Go Bikers, Edren’s advocacy was honored at the 2024 Philippine Resilience Awards (PRA).
Now in its second year, the PRA continues to honor individuals like Edren, joining a long line of everyday champions who may not be in office suits nor have a national agency backing, but answer the call to lead on the ground. These modern day heroes are equipped with an intimate understanding of their community, where resilience is embedded in culture and actions.
The 2025 PRA Winners
The 2025 PRA awardees carry the same spirit forward. For example, Renebelita Fuentebella from Valenzuela City, co-founder of Damit Dignidad Pilipinas (DDP), together with her husband, Victor Fuentebella, recognized the gap in quality in the provisions of aid in their community following an occurrence of natural hazards.
Clothes will often arrive in evacuation centers unsorted, ill-fitting, and sometimes even unclean. Renebelita aims for DDP to provide a sense of normalcy and an opportunity for individuals, especially women and youth, to reclaim an aspect of dignity by delivering humanitarian aid that is fast and inclusive.
She is not alone in empowering communities that need it most. Jenelyn J. Salimbagat, Director at the National University of Manila, expanded the reach of their National Service Training Program or NSTP by developing the Family Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Plan (FEDPP).
Recognizing the thousands of families displaced in her community in Manila, due to typhoons and severe floods, Jenelyn turned FEDPP into an off-campus extension of the academic program. As part of the course, NSTP students were mobilized to adopt families in nearby areas and barangays to be taught emergency planning, evacuation strategies, and go-bag preparation. Since its inception in 2021, the program has further increased in scale to reach underserved barangays in Bulacan and some parts of Metro Manila.
On a national level, Dr. Diana Rose Cajipe, Undersecretary at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), is a fellow recipient of the award. Together with her team, they launched Buong Bansa Handa Program (BBHP), a two-tier, state-driven supply chain system of relief goods in partnership with the private sector, such as supermarkets, distributors, and manufacturers nationwide.
Five youth champions were also recognized at the 2025 Philippine Resilience Awards. Quezon City Kagawad Raymart S. Garcia was awarded for the Reskyusi Food Basket, a food rescue program that addresses malnutrition and the health of undernourished children in Barangay Commonwealth.
Garcia is likewise joined by National Youth Council member Shri Tahanie Macaumbao for Green by Design, a social enterprise designed to rid hyacinth infestation in Lake Lanao, Marawi City. Val Amiel Vestil is also conferred a PRA champion for “Kwentong Kalikasan,” an informative video advocacy to build climate resilience through storytelling.
Peter John Enorio, a student of Cebu Technological University, for his Subang Environmental Initiatives, a grand advocacy addressing environmental degradation. His efforts aim to restore one hectare of degraded land per community site through kamagong and bamboo propagation and coastal clean-ups, among others.
Lastly, Christian Hernandez, an instructor at the Mindoro State University, was recognized for Project MOSES (Monitoring and Observation of Site-specific E-weather Station). The initiative equips communities with tools to better anticipate hydro-meteorological hazards like flash floods, extreme rainfall, and heat waves, and other hazards that frequently affect Oriental Mindoro because of its geographic and climatic conditions.
Strengthened community ties
A study by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science found that communities with strong social ties are better equipped to face hazards. This is a common thread among the awardees for this year’s PRA Awardees — tight-knit communities with a familiar and locally driven approach in mobilization respond better in disaster situations.
When asked about his message for this year’s awardees and beyond, Go Bike founder Edren Llanillo said this is no competition; rather, it’s an alliance toward a common goal.
“Malaki po ang ambag na hinihingi sa atin ng bayan,” Edren said. “Kaya wag po tayo mahiya na magtiwala sa ating sarili, at makipagtulungan na mabigyan ng plataporma at tulong ang isa’t isa.”
(Our country needs a lot of help from all of us. So, let us not hesitate in trusting ourselves and working together to provide a platform and help each other.)
The PRA shines a spotlight on climate champions by recognizing the brilliant women and youth whose initiatives create meaningful impact in their communities. Under this year’s theme, “Kababaihan at Kabataan: Katuwang sa Paghahabi ng Isang Matatag na Bayan,” the awards celebrate individuals who advance climate action and help build a disaster-resilient Philippines.
Initiated by Senator Loren Legarda in 2023, the PRA is supported by the Climate Change Commission, the Philippine Commission on Women, the National Resilience Council, SM Prime, Women’s International Network on DRR, and ARISE Philippines.
Kagawad Raymart S. Garcia
Shri Tahanie Macaumbao
Renebelita Fuentebella
Peter John Enorio
Christian Hernandez
Jenelyn J. Salimbagat
Dr. Diana Rose Cajipe
Val Amiel Vestil
Renebelita Fuentebella’s Damit Dignidad Pilipinas (DDP) is a community-based, volunteer-driven initiative in the Philippines that focuses on humanitarian aid, environmental sustainability, and disaster risk reduction primarily through the collection, preparation, and distribution of pre-loved clothes and other essential personal items
Project MOSES (Monitoring and Observation of Site-specific E-weather Station) is a research-driven, IoT-based localized synoptic weather monitoring system conceptualized and led by licensed Agricultural and Biosystems Engineer Christian B. Hernandez. This aims to address the critical gap in real-time, site-specific weather data in Oriental Mindoro—particularly within flood-prone areas such as the Mag-asawang Tubig Watershed, which directly affects the municipalities of Victoria, Naujan, Calapan, and nearby low-lying areas.
