The past years has been a real joy for me as I have had the privilege and opportunity to get to know more about and work with the GNIP (Good Neighbors International Philippines) family.  What I have witnessed makes me even more excited about our future and the ways in which we can deepen our partnership’s impact in this municipality we serve.

I have known GNIP since I came back as the local chief executive in 2013. Partnering and working with the field office staff here, I saw firsthand the respect and care GNIP extended to the children of Prieto Diaz through child sponsorship and community development programs.

Also, in the past year, GNIP engaged in constant consultations with the local government, as well as with all its stakeholders to identify priorities and areas of focus for our strengthened partnership and endeavors on health, sanitation, and disaster preparedness programs.  As a result, an emergency and public address system was installed in twenty-three barangays across the municipality making Prieto Diaz the lone municipality in the province of Sorsogon with an established communication system for disasters and natural calamities.  For health and sanitation, we were also able to conduct CLTS (Community-Led to Total Sanitation), a simple, yet triggering activity that helps transform the customs and practices of our constituents.  In our relentless effort to promote the well-being and full participation of the children in our community, GNIP has been active in assisting our local council for the protection of children in the crafting of the council’s plans and programs.

It is gratifying to see how GNIP has contributed to our local government unit in carrying out mandated tasks and duties in the delivery of certain basic services, capacity-building and livelihood projects. They have also contributed efforts for the improvement of productivity and income, the promotion of a balanced ecology, and the enhancement of the general economic and social well-being of our people.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge the GNIP family, its officers, incorporators, and benefactors for their continued stewardship and support throughout the past year.  I would also like to thank the GNIP Prieto Diaz Field Office’s dedicated and hardworking staff for their continued commitment. We look forward to continuing work with GNIP as we advance the initiatives set out in our advocacy on child protection and community development.

Thank you for making our work possible and for partnering with us.