MATI CITY, Davao Oriental – A team of regional evaluators cited Davao Oriental’s “excellent” performance in practically all areas of local governance.
During the Regional Assessment for the 2017 Seal of Good Local Governance on Monday, June 19, the evaluation team said that based on their observations, the province has met all the rigid requirements for the Seal while exceeding all the requirements in some areas.
Provincial Director Noel Duarte of DILG Compostela Valley Province, who led the team of regional assessors, said he is impressed with Davao Oriental’s performance especially in the area of peace and order, which is being regarded by the department as the most crucial core area of assessment.
He said Davao Oriental is now being considered as the country’s best implementer of the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) – a special program that provides comprehensive services and benefits for former rebels. The Happy Home – a halfway house for former rebels, which offers a wide array of comprehensive programs for their total healing and recovery, is being attributed to the province’s successful CLIP implementation.
He also cited Davao Oriental’s anti-criminality programs and its string of policies in support of the province’s anti-drugs efforts, describing Davao Oriental as “perfect” on this aspect.
Davao Oriental’s Financial Administration also received satisfactory remarks for being able to post updated Full Disclosure Policy, thus, promoting financial transparency. Evaluators also noted the province’s significant local revenue growth. They urged the province to sustain this growth so that it will become less dependent on the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA). Meanwhile, government spending of the 20 percent Local Development Fund turned out to have been efficiently utilized.
The areas of Disaster Preparedness and Social Protection, on the other hand, have met all the necessary requirements.
Davao Oriental’s programs for Tourism, Culture and the Arts as well the area of Business Friendliness have made a good impression with the evaluators considering that Davao Oriental has made efforts in creating the province suitable for business and has created a festival called “Kabilin Festival” that is touted to draw more tourists and spur economic opportunities here.
Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang, said he is pleased with the evaluators’ observations. “While the leadership skills of my predecessor, then Governor now Representative of the First District Cong. Corazon Malanyaon deserves a big chunk of the credit for establishing a competent team of public servants, the province could not have done it without the support and cooperation of the Provincial Government organization. Everyone in the Provincial Government deserves credit,” he said, expressing his gratitude to the workers of the Capitol and partner agencies.
Bannered with the slogan “Pagkilala sa Katapatan at Kahusayan ng Pamahalaang Lokal”, the SGLG 2017 is the upgraded version of last year’s Seal as the DILG has scaled up the parameters of the assessment with the inclusion of peace and order as one of the core areas. This year, LGUs must pass four core areas namely: Financial Administration, Disaster Preparedness, Social Protection, and Peace and Order. Moreover, LGUs must pass at least one of the essential areas, namely: Business Friendliness and Competitiveness; Tourism Culture and the Arts; and Environmental Protection.
There will be 81 provinces, 145 cities and 1,489 municipalities that will be subjected to the SGLG assessment.
Aside from getting hold of the Performance-Based Bonus (PBB), LGU passers will get an access to the Performance Challenge Fund – an incentive program for LGU passers to fund local development initiatives. Moreover, the LGUs will also get access to other program windows and capacity development assistance as part of the incentive package. By Karen Lou Deloso/Photo by Eden Jhan Licayan
