THE Cities of Ormoc, Maasin, and Tacloban, and 12 other towns in Eastern Visayas bagged this year’s most coveted Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“The award, which is considered as the most prestigious, is an indication that Ormoc City is superb in her services and functions... With this accolade, the City of Ormoc will be even more motivated to deliver the best services to all Ormocanons and to uphold this motto every single day: The best is yet to come,” Ormoc Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez said.

The award came as the city celebrated its 75th Charter Day this year.

This year’s SGLG award will be the fourth for Maasin City in Southern Leyte.

Mayor Nacional Mercado earlier expressed his elation during the national validation, saying, “it is truly an honor to be chosen as one of the few, at least to be validated for our Seal of Good Local Governance.”

Municipalities of Eastern Visayas that are also recipients of the SGLG awards are Quinapondan, Eastern Samar; Barugo, Leyte; Jiabong, Samar; Paranas, Samar; Bontoc, Southern Leyte; Hinunangan, Southern Leyte; Liloan, Southern Leyte; Macrohon, Southern Leyte; Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte; Sogod, Southern Leyte; St. Bernard, Southern Leyte; and Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte.

“May you all continue to strive for exemplary performance, trailblazing innovations and meritorious achievements towards excellence in governance,” the DILG in the region said.

To receive the SGLSG award, a local government unit needs to pass all 10 governance areas, namely, financial administration and sustainability; disaster preparedness; social protection and sensitivity; safety, peace and order; health compliance and responsiveness; sustainable education; business friendliness and competitiveness; environmental management; tourism, heritage development, culture and the arts; and youth development. (SunStar Philippines)