MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 28 May) – The regional office of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Northern Mindanao has deployed regional assessment teams (RATs) for the implementation of the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) and other governance performance assessment tools.
In an order issued earlier this month, DILG-10 regional director Rene K. Burdeos deployed a total of eight teams to assess the LGUs’ performance based on the SGLG, the Local Governance Performance Management System (LGPMS), and the revitalized Parangal System.
DILG Bukidnon provincial director Bruce Colao said the two-day evaluation for Valencia City, Malaybalay City, and the provincial government of Bukidnon were set from May 26-30.
Separate DILG teams were also set to evaluate Bukidnon’s 20 towns in two groups from May 19 to June 19.
Colao told MindaNews the SGLG is the followup program to the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH) instituted in 2010 during the time of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo.
DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero, in a memorandum to DILG regional directors and other officials, described the SGLG and the LGPMS as “core components of the Performance Oversight, Incentives, Recognition, and Awards Program” for local governments.
“The LGPMS is the performance oversight tool and the SGLG as the recognition of good governance,” he added.
The DILG recognized the “evolution” of their performance oversight guidelines.
The DILG cited that SGLG was introduced to provide greater challenge to local governments to continue good governance practices while providing better services.
The Seal of Good Housekeeping only measured the levels of compliance to the DILG’s Full Disclosure Policy, particularly in the areas of budget, revenues and procurement, among others, having no adverse Commission on Audut (COA) findings, as well as meeting the requirements of the Anti-Red Tape Act.
In the SGLG, the LGUs were expected to do well in six performance areas: good financial housekeeping, disaster preparedness, social protection or being sensitive to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized sectors of the society, business-friendliness and competitiveness to encourage investment and employment, peace and order to protect constituents from threats to life and property, and environmental management to safeguard the integrity of the environment.
Local government units that pass the minimum criteria will receive the SGLG. Also, they will receive package of incentives, such as the Performance Challenge Fund, which was already done under the SGH. The DILG cited they will provide capacity development interventions to LGUs that failed the mark.
The DILG clarified that the LGPMS is no longer a self-rated performance assessment for LGUs as DILG teams will gather the data to be supplied to the tool.
They noted that criteria are developed to consider difference in LGU level and income range and are designed to be progressive in nature to be scaled up annually.
SGLG evaluation teams are composite – with members from DILG and representatives from civil society organizations, according to Burdeos’s order.
The teams were also required to facilitate an exit conference with LGUs concerned to feedback the observations generated during the assessment.
