FOR Mabalacat City Mayor Cris Garbo, serving the people with sincerity and dedication is the most important award.

Garbo made this statement after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) evaluated Mabalacat City for the Seal of Good Local Governance SGLG 2019.

The assessment was attended by city department and division heads and focal persons of the local government.

The SGLG evaluators were led by Debra Lynn Romero of DILG-Aklan (Region VI). She was accompanied by Renalyn Iglesias (Focal Person SGLG-DILG Pamp) and CLGOO Rowena S. Ocampo.

Garbo, together with City Administrator Emmanuel E. Ignacio and Chief of Staff Rosan S. Paquia, welcomed the evaluators.

The city officials said the validation went through smoothly since all the documents were all at hand and the sites inspected were all prepared.

Other city officials participated in the validation at the City Hall annex, according to Ignacio.

Garbo said Mabalacat City is considered one of the best emerging city in the country because he works with the best people, referring to SP members, Ignacio, Paquia and all the department and city heads.

During the event, Romero praised the humility and sincerity of the local chief executive.

“Very seldom that I see real public servants like your leader," said Romero, who interviewed residents and leaders in Barangay Mangalit.

The SGLG award symbolizes the LGUs' integrity and good performance.

It adopts a progressive assessment system to give distinction to remarkable local government performance on Financial Administration, Disaster Preparedness, Social Protection, Peace and Order, Business-Friendliness and Competitiveness, Environmental Management, and Tourism, Culture and Arts.

SGLG continues to recognize local governments by primarily looking at existing structures, systems and processes that promote transparency, integrity and quality service delivery.