The delegate of the Government in Asturias, Adriana Lastra, has claimed this Thursday the defense of public services as an essential pillar of democracy and the Welfare State during the act of awarding Medals to the Merit of Civil Protection and decorations of the Order of Civil Merit.
In her speech, the delegate stressed that “defending the public is not a slogan or a partisan slogan, but a democratic obligation”, and stressed that the emergencies experienced in recent years have shown that only from planning, institutional cooperation and professional commitment is it possible to give effective answers when citizens need it most.
Referring to the DANA of 2024 that hit the Valencian Community particularly hard, he recalled that “when everything trembles, the State becomes a network, a refuge and a response”, thanks to a coordinated public system in which security forces and bodies, technical personnel, emergency services, volunteers and social entities participate. “This response is not the result of improvisation, but of previous work and public confidence,” he said.
The delegate also highlighted the contribution of Asturias in that emergency and the role played by national police, civil guards, technical personnel, civil protection volunteers, municipal officials and social organizations as “a way of being, of caring and of not looking the other way”.
In the course of the event, awards were given to members of the National Police and the Civil Guard for outstanding actions in emergencies and rescues, as well as professionals with long trajectories of public service. The work of the Food Bank of Asturias and the promotion of municipal coordination exercised by the Asturian Federation of Councils were also recognized as examples of organized solidarity and institutional cooperation.
Beyond individual recognitions, the delegate called for reflection on the model of society that makes them possible and defended that the democratic system “is strengthened with exemplification and accountability, and weakened when institutions that serve the general interest are generalized and unjustly discredited.”
Finally, he appealed for democratic firmness, institutional respect and temperance in the face of disinformation and tension, and concluded by recalling that “democracy does not stand alone: it is sustained by people”, such as those today recognized for their commitment, professionalism and vocation to service.
Minute of silence
The event began with a minute’s silence to express condolences and condemnation of the latest murders of 28-year-old Taniana in Navarre and 10-year-old Yaret in Tenerife due to gender violence in Spain.
With these terrible murders, there are already two minors killed and ten women killed by their partner or ex-partner this 2026. Since 2003, 1,353 women have been killed for gender-based violence and, since 2013, 67 children have been killed for gender-based violence against their mothers.
Delivery of distinctions
Then, the formal award of eleven distinctions was developed to recognize outstanding actions in situations of risk, emergency or catastrophe, as well as exemplary professional trajectories and commitment to the service of the State.
They have been eight Medals to the Merit of Civil Protection, four of them on the occasion of the DANA of 2024; as well as two Crosses of the Order of Civil Merit and a Cross of Officer of the Order of Civil Merit.
The event, chaired by the delegate of the Government in Asturias, Adriana Lastra, was attended by the Mayor of Oviedo, Alfredo Canteli; the Vice-President of the Government of the Principality of Asturias, Gimena Llamedo; the Councilor for Mobility, Environment and Emergency Management of the Principality of Asturias, Alejandro Calvo; and the General Director of Civil Protection and Emergencies of the Ministry of the Interior, Virginia Barcones, among other authorities, institutional representatives, the third sector and the professional field.
Medals to the Merit of Civil Protection
The Medal of Merit for Civil Protection was created by Order of the Ministry of the Interior of April 13, 1982, to distinguish natural or legal persons who stand out for their activities in the protection, at a preventive and operational level, of persons and goods that may be affected by emergency situations in cases of serious risk, catastrophe or public calamity.
At the event, eight Medals were awarded in the bronze category: three with a red badge that recognizes acts of heroism or solidarity, and five with a blue badge, which rewards collaborative actions.
In application of Order INT/1492/2025 of the Ministry of the Interior, four of these medals have the character of honorary badge for participation in the emergency and security devices of DANA 2024 that seriously affected Castilla-La Mancha, Andalusia and, especially, the Valencian Community.
Honorary distinctions for the DANA 2024:
Medal with blue badge:
- Lieutenant Jesús Valentín Mora Martín, head of the Citizen Security Unit (USECIC) of the Civil Guard of Asturias. He exercised the command of a functional unit displaced to the province of Valencia. Under his direction, rescues of people trapped by the floods, urgent sanitary transfers, distribution of humanitarian aid and citizen security actions were developed. Their voluntary incorporation into the device highlighted their commitment to public service.
- Food Bank of Asturias. It channeled citizen solidarity through the collection, classification and shipment of more than 100 tons of basic necessities, in coordination with SEPA, the Government Delegation and the Asturian municipalities, ensuring an effective logistical response to the most affected areas.
- Cecilia Pérez Sánchez, president of the Asturian Federation of Councils (FACC). For its work of institutional coordination from the municipal level, promoting the sending of human and material resources from the municipalities of the Principality and facilitating interadministrative collaboration in support of the Valencian Community.
Medal with red badge:
- Julio Suárez Fernández, member of the 9th Police Intervention Unit based in Oviedo. During his deployment in different Valencian localities, he assumed functions of operational responsibility, coordinating citizen security patrols in severely damaged environments and participating in humanitarian work and direct support to the affected population. His performance is part of a professional career of more than two decades in intervention units.
Medals to the Merit of Civil Protection:
Medal with blue badge:
- Gonzalo Míguez García, coordinator of the Civil Protection Volunteers Group of the City of Oviedo from 2008 until his recent retirement. For its sustained dedication, the modernization of the group and its drive for social and humanitarian initiatives, especially during the pandemic and in the mobilization of aid after DANA.
- Blanca Rosa Viejo Nava, technique in Technological Risks of the Civil Protection Unit of the Government Delegation in Asturias. With more than 35 years of service characterized by its professionalism, responsibility and constant support to the operation of the Unit.
Medal with red badge:
- The Civil Guards Javier Martín del Río and Alfredo González Luna, for their intervention in the fire of the residence ‘Ave María’, in La Barganiza (Siero), where they collaborated in the rescue and assistance of residents despite being affected by smoke inhalation during the performance.
Order of Civil Merit
The Order of Civil Merit was instituted by King Don Alfonso XIII, by Royal Decree of June 25, 1926, to reward “the civic virtues of officials in the service of the State, as well as the extraordinary services of Spanish and foreign citizens in the good of the Nation”. Currently, the Regulation of the Order of Civil Merit approved by Royal Decree 2.396/1998, of November 6, establishes that its purpose is to “reward civil merits, acquired by personnel dependent on one of the Public Administrations, or by persons outside the Administration, who provide or have provided relevant services to the State, with extraordinary work, profitable initiatives, or with exemplary consistency in the fulfillment of their duties.”
The Order consists of several degrees. In this act two Crosses and an Officer’s Cross were given.
Cross of the Order of Civil Merit:
- Captain Pablo Villabrille Sampedro, head of the Rescue and Mountain Intervention Group (GREIM) of the Civil Guard of Cangas de Onís. For his leadership in rescues and searches of missing persons and his outstanding professional career.
- Inspector Fernando Martín Garmón Mayo, head of the Technological and Economic Crimes Group in the Judicial Police Brigade of the Higher Police Headquarters of Asturias. By being A national reference in the pursuit of economic and technological crime.
Officer’s Cross of the Order of Civil Merit:
- Commissioner Manuel Díaz-Faes Espiago, Regional Chief of Operations of the Higher Police Headquarters of Asturias. For his long professional career and his work of operational coordination at the head of different police units.