The Provincial Government is on high gear as its bids to get hold again of the coveted mother of all awards for local governance – the Department of Interior and Local Government’s Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG).
Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang, during the SGLG pre-assessment conference on April 6 at the Provincial Capitol, has ordered all key departments and agencies to work together in intensifying efforts to boost performance in practically all aspects of governance.
“Our participation to this year’s SGLG is not simply a means of compliance but a way to show our integrity and good governance in serving the people,” he said.
Governor Dayanghirang hopes to sustain the Provincial Government’s status as a consistent SGLG awardee. “The former administration has raised the bar for excellence in governance that’s why we need to double our efforts to perform even better,” he said, citing the province being a Gawad Pamanang Lahi Champion in 2012.
“For 2017, the DILG raises its overall assessment criteria from “3 + 1” into “4+1”. Peace and Order has been added to the core areas namely, Financial Administration, Disaster Preparedness and Social Protection,” explained DILG Provincial Director Yvette T. Sunga, saying that these are the non-negotiable core areas. Moreover, a new essential area, Tourism, Culture and the Arts, is being introduced in addition to Business Friendliness and Competitiveness and Environmental Management. “The LGU can choose from any of these three essential areas to comply in addition to the four non-negotiable areas,” she added.
Sunga stressed that one of the major significance of the SGLG is to promote transparency in terms of utilization of public funds through the Full Disclosure Policy which is being posted online, thus, upholding the public’s trust to the government.
“The SGLG symbolizes integrity and good performance through continuing governance reform and sustained local development. It is a progressive assessment system adopted by the DILG to give distinction to remarkable local government performance across several areas.”
The SGLG aligns its parameters with that of the national government’s thrust in realizing target outcomes relative to local governance. “Most notably accounted for is the Philippine Development Plan to help bring about the current administration’s vision of inclusive growth, high-trust society and a globally competitive economy following the principles of Malasakit, Pagbabago at Patuloy na Pag-unlad.”
There will be 81 province, 145 cities and 1,489 municipalities that will be subjected to the SGLG assessment. Sunga said that a series of assessment will be conducted by regional and national assessment teams in the next few months. The results will be announced in October 2017.
Aside from cash prizes, LGU passers will get an access to the Performance Challenge Fund –an incentive program for LGUs conferred with good local governance to finance local development initiatives. Moreover, the LGUs will also get access to other program windows and capacity development assistance as part of the incentive package. (Karen Lou Deloso/PIO DavOr)
