THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Eastern Visayas is bent on seeing more towns and cities in the region passing the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) this year.
DILG Assistant Regional Director Artemio Caneja said it is disappointing to know that only 43 towns and five cities in the region earned the seal despite of their advocacy for good governance over the past years.
The number of last year’s awardees was only 33.57 percent of the total number of city and municipal governments in the region.
The department hopes that the number of SGLG awardees will double or even triple this year.
“More SGLG awardees means local governments practice good and improved local governance,” Caneja added.
This year, the DILG will intensify the identification of setbacks in gaining the award by examining problems in the local level, according to Caneja.
“Together with local government officials, we will examine what are the weaknesses of their respective areas and try to work out its root causes,” Caneja said.
He attributed the minimal number of awardees from its conception in 2014 up to the present to the delayed, outdated and unaccomplished documents of most towns and cities.
This prompted the department to devise some strategies that will expedite the completion process of their documents and resolve some recurring issues encountered in each area.
Likewise, the DILG will be introducing another strategy called Good Governance (2G).
“This is a scheme where officials of each town or city will be given the chance to talk to a specific national government agency to come up with the best solution to an issue,” he added.
On top of this, the agency will also conduct a separate consultation focused on the formulation of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) of each local government.
The absence of updated Clup has been identified as a major setback that many local governments failed to obtain the SGLG.
As a reward, each SGLG awardee is given the Performance Challenge Fund intended for infrastructure projects that will cater to the needs and improve the lives of poor families.
“The program is not about the funds or incentives the local government would get, but to promote the basic mandate of the department as a catalyst for excellence in local governance,” Caneja added.
Per last year’s assessment of local government units, the SGLG passers are Almeria, Cabucgayan, Caibiran, Kawayan, and Naval in Biliran province; Balangkayan, Can-avid, Llorente, Maydolong, Oras, and Sulat in Eastern Samar; Catubig, Gamay, Laoang, Lavezares, Palapag, and San Roque in Northern Samar; Abuyog, Alangalang, Calubian, Hilongos, Hindang, Kananga, Leyte, Mahaplag, Matag-ob, Merida, Palompon, and San Isidro in Leyte; Basey, Daram, Motiong, Sto. Nino, and Villareal in Samar; and Anahawan, Libagon, Liloan, Macrohon, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, San Francisco, Silago, and Sogod in Southern Leyte.
Among cities, the awardees are Baybay in Leyte, Catbalogan in Samar, Tacloban in Leyte, Maasin in Southern Leyte, and Ormoc in Leyte.
Aside from practicing accountability and transparency under SGLG, the department also aims to prepare local governments for the challenges posed by disasters and sensitivity to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized sectors of the society.
The seal also drives LGUs to encourage investment and employment, protect the constituents from threats to life and security, and safeguard the integrity of the environment.
For an LGU to become an SGLG recipient, it has to pass all the three core assessment areas -- good financial housekeeping, social protection and disaster preparedness, and at least one from the essential assessment areas -- business-friendliness and competitiveness, peace and order or environmental management. (PNA)