MANILA – Almost 400 local government units, or 44 percent, have passed the standards of good local governance this year, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Saturday.
From the 263 passers last year, the LGU passers went up to 380 after fulfilling the assessment criteria in good governance. The figure consists of 17 provinces, 57 cities, and 306 municipalities nationwide.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año praised the LGUs for passing despite the challenging year and for stepping up their game.
Leading the passers were 65 LGUs from the Ilocos region: Central Luzon (63); Cagayan Valley (40); Calabarzon (33); and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (28).
The BARMM was recognized for the success of its LGUs despite its transition and the other issues faced by the region.
“Despite the many issues happening in the area -- the elections, the passage, and plebiscite of organic law -- the BARMM still has awardees,” DILG spokesperson and Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya told reporters in an earlier press briefing.
Malaya added that this year, 99 more municipalities and 18 more cities passed the seal compared to last year.
“We expect continued progress and improvement in delivering services,” he said.
The criteria for the seal of good governance (SGLG) include financial and administrative management; disaster preparedness; social protection; peace and order; business-friendliness and competitiveness; environmental protection; and tourism, culture, and arts.
With the creation of the SGLG through Republic Act 11292, Año said he "expects "continued progress and improvement in LGUs' capacity to deliver quality service to the people."
The passers are eligible to compete in the DILG Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) to finance their local development projects.
The awarding of the seal will be held at the Manila Hotel on November 4 and 5. (PNA)
