18 of 23 Bukidnon LGUs receive ‘Seal of Good Housekeeping’

Eighteen of the 23 local government units in Bukidnon have been awarded their Bronze Seal of
Good Housekeeping (SGH) for 2011 by the Department of Interior and
Local Government, the most number in a province in Northern Mindanao,
according to the DILG.
Gracelyn Abregana, program manager at the DILG-Bukidnon, said the list
includes the provincial government of Bukidnon, the cities of
Malaybalay and Valencia, and 15 of 20 towns.
Rene K. Burdeos, DILG 10 regional director, awarded Malaybalay’s seal
to Mayor Ignacio W. Zubiri during the convocation program this
morning.
“The (DILG) confers this Seal of Good Housekeeping to the City of
Malaybalay, Bukidnon for Calendar Year 2011 in recognition of its
efforts in advancing the principles of accountability and transparency
in governance,” said the citation on the city government’s seal
printed on a fiberglass plaque and signed by the late Interior and
Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo.
Abregana said the seal is DILG’s way of recognizing the LGUs’
commitment to good governance.
She pointed out that the SGH is awarded to local governments that have
no adverse opinion from the Commission on Audit (COA) and for full
disclosure in financial transactions.
Bukidnon’s five towns that failed to get a Seal of Good Housekeeping
award, she added, are the towns of Kibawe, Dangcagan, Kitaotao,
Lantapan, and Baungon.
Initially designed for low income class towns, Bukidnon’s original
recipients of the SGH are the municipalities of Damulog and Sumilao in
2010. Both towns obtained the award again this year.
Abregana said the 18 Bukidnon LGUs received a total of P147 million
from the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) and the national
government’s Performance Challenge Fund (PCF).
She said Malaybalay received P60 million; Valencia City, P40 million;
the provincial government, P30 million; and the towns received P1
million each. About P3 million from those received by the cities and
province were from the PCF.
She said the LGUs received extra cash incentives from the LGSF due to
the reduction of the internal revenue allotment this year.
In an earlier announcement, Burdeos was quoted as saying the fund may
be used for development projects in line with the national
government’s program to attain the Millennium Development Goals or
other targets such as in tourism and economic development, disaster
risk reduction and management, and solid waste management.
The projects, the DILG said, may include school buildings, rural
health units, water and sanitary system, infrastructure,
reforestation, and postharvest facilities.
Abregana cited that the criteria of the SGH this year included
compliance to the Anti Red Tape Act (ARTA). The DILG announced that
for this year a close scrutiny of the financial management of the LGU
will be included. [Walter I. Balane / MindaNews]

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