Seal of Good Housekeeping Award earned by Sarangani

SARANGANI province has earned the Seal of Good Housekeeping Award in recognition of its exemplary performance in governance, transparency, and accountability.
The award also entitles Sarangani to avail of the Performance Challenge Fund in the amount of P10 million as financial incentive to support the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
As explained in Memorandum Circular No. 2010-83, this award from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is a commitment “to aggressively scale up interventions to elevate the practice of governance that values transparency, accountability, participation and performance into an institutionalized status.”
Marife Tenorio, chief of operations of the Sarangani DILG provincial office, said the province will avail of the incentive in the form of a project grant, but she stressed the objectives of the projects should be aligned with the MDG.
This, however, requires Sarangani to put up a counterpart in the form of MDG-related projects under the ongoing Annual Investment Programs (AIP) of the province.
“It’s not necessary for the province to shell out a separate funding as their counterpart” but may instead identify any from among the province’s AIP projects.
Governor Migs Dominguez endorsed to the DILG last December 13 a Project Proposal Profile for 2012 as administrative requirement under the Seal.
It includes the P3.465-million improvement/rehabilitation or construction of 13 day-care centers across the province. Day-care centers boost the provincial government’s pursuit of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) as the foundation of its “Education Revolution!” campaign. At the same time, Supervised Neighborhood Play (SNP) workers armed with learning materials from UNICEF are deployed to far-flung villages on horseback to reach their wards.
Also listed are the P2.5-million Kalinaw Fort Sarangani Landmark and P4 million for the completion of the regional trial court building.
Aside from the provincial government, three out of the seven municipalities of Sarangani bagged the award with corresponding monetary incentive of P2M for Glan and P1M each for Maitum and Alabel.
The award recognizes local government units (LGUs) with good governance and practice the values of good planning, sound fiscal management, transparency and accountability, and valuing of performance monitoring.
Tenorio said “instead of penalizing LGUs that are not performing,” the DILG is giving incentives to performing LGUs to encourage others to follow suit.
One of the requirements for the award is the full disclosure of local budgets and finances, and bids and public offerings.
Tenorio said Sarangani complied with the mandate for the posting of budgets, expenditures, contracts and loans, and procurement plans in conspicuous places, website, and in print media in December 2010.
She said her office is still waiting for the notice for Gov. Dominguez to personally receive the Seal of Good Housekeeping award in Manila.
For more news and updates, please visit <http://www.sarangani.gov.ph>. [SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE/BEVERLY C. PAOYON]