Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian was elected to the Board of Governors of the foremost humanitarian organization in the country, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), during its 29^th Biennial National Convention held last Wednesday, December 7.

Mayor Gatchalian ranked third out of the 17 who vied for the nine spots and was among the first-termer Governors.  He obtained 299 out of the 408 total votes of delegates from over 100 local chapters all over the country.

The PRC Board of Governors is the highest policy-making body of the Red Cross, with former Senator Richard Gordon as Chairman.

Gatchalian has been very supportive of PRC programs and endeavors as the Honorary Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross – Valenzuela City Chapter since 2004, investing on raising the membership of Red Cross 143 and Red Cross Youth 143 volunteers in all barangays in Valenzuela City, organization of Red Cross Youth Councils in all public and private schools in the city, and the general investiture of 3,580 Red Cross volunteers, earning the City the moniker, “City of Volunteers,” a feat well-articulated by this years’ theme for the convention, “Red Cross 143 in the Heart of Every Volunteer.”

He also further strengthened the chapter through other means, such as, approval of the allocation budget for the renovation of chapter training center and for the purchase of safety services and disaster management training equipment, and provision of detailed staff to the chapter, with the ultimate intention of protecting the people’s lives.

Gatchalian, who campaigned for the position bannering “Unity of chapters in order to achieve common goals,” thanked the PRC-VC Chapter for the support and all the delegates from the other chapters for the confidence they have given him.  Now that he is elected PRC Governor, “I’m looking forward to being of greater help in dealing with the challenges that the PRC will face in the coming years and in sustaining its continuous growth in terms of services provided, number of people served and number of lives saved all over the country, and the ” he said.

During the convention dinner and oath-taking ceremony on December 8, Gatchalian was also bestowed with the “Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon Award,” the most prestigious award bestowed by the PRC Board of Governors, in recognition of his highly-distinguished leadership and outstanding achievements that contributed to the status attained by the PRC today.