For exhibiting exemplary performance in various areas of good governance, 35 local government units in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) were awarded the 2017 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday, November 24, in Manila.
Interior and Local Government Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Catalino S. Cuy together with Undersecretaries Eduardo Año and Austere Panadero, DILG IV-A Regional Director Manuel Q. Gotis, and Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs, Secretary Francis Tolentino, led the conferment of the good governance award to local chief executives of the 35 LGUs.
Of the 448 LGUs nationwide bagging this year’s coveted Seal, three provincial governments, nine city governments, and 23 municipal governments that made it to the cut are from the Calabarzon Region.
See the list of recipients below:
In a statement, Gotis lauded the 35 local governments who passed this year’s test of good local governance.
“We commend the 35 LGUs in the Calabarzon Region for passing the advanced criteria of the SGLG. We hope that these local governments continue to put the premium on different areas of good governance and remain steadfast in recognizing excellence and integrity in local governance,” the DILG Regional Director said.
Noting the increase in the total number of LGUs, Gotis challenged all LGUs in the region to put their local governments on prime and comply with the parameters of the succeeding rounds of the Seal.
“Despite the upgrade of the Department’s flagship awards program, the Calabarzon Region still managed to double up the number of recipients for this year’s coveted Seal. This just proved that local government officials have been true to their commitments in delivering services to their constituents,” said Gotis.
“We hope to see more Calabarzon LGUs in the line of SGLG winners so I am challenging all LGUs to consistently align its governance frameworks in the parameters of SGLG and raise the level of governance in their respective local government units,” the DILG Regional Director added.
Recipients of the Seal are eligible to receive a cash incentive in the form of Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) amounting to P3-million for provincial governments, P2.4-million for city governments, and P2-million for municipal governments which they can use to finance development projects.
The SGLG, the highest award given by the Department is a progressive assessment and awards system adopted by the DILG to give distinction to remarkable local government performance across areas of good governance.
For 2017, the SGLG followed more stringent criteria wherein an LGU needs to pass the four core areas namely Financial Administration, Disaster Preparedness, Social Protection, and Peace and Order. As provided in the scaled-up criteria, the LGU must also pass at least one essential area among the areas of Business-Friendliness and Competitiveness, Environmental Protection, Tourism, Culture and the Arts.
Last year, a total of three provincial governments, four city governments, and 10 municipal governments in the region were able to pass the coveted SGLG. —R4A
