GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/11 June) — The Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) in Region 12 has started the implementation in the region of its flagship Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG): Pagkilala sa Katatapatan at Kahusayan ng Pamahalaang Lokal.
Reynaldo Bungubung, DILG Region 12 director, said Wednesday they have started the assessment of the area’s local government units (LGUs) for the initiative, which aims to mainstream good governance practices among LGUs in the region.
Region 12, which is also known as the Soccsksargen Region, comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
The official said they formally introduced the 2014 SGLG during the recent regional refocusing cum continuing legal education for field implementers held in Koronadal City.
DILG provincial and city directors, city and municipal local government operations officers and all program managers of the regional office participated in the activity, he said.
He said they also held SGLG orientations for local officials, civil society organizations, national government agencies and the media to draw support for the initiative.
SGLG is a scaled up version of the Seal of Good Housekeeping, a project that recognizes LGUs with good performance in internal housekeeping, particularly in the areas of local legislation, development planning, resource generation, resource allocation and utilization, customer service and human resource management and development, as well as, in valuing the fundamentals of good governance.
The enhanced SGLG focuses on three core assessment areas and three other essential assessment areas.
The core assessment areas are good financial housekeeping, disaster preparedness and social protection.
The essential assessment areas are business-friendliness and competitiveness, peace and order, and environmental management.
Bungubung said a Regional Assessment Team (RAT) composed of the DILG 12’s SGLG focal person and representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry-12, Department of Education-12 and the private sector was created to effectively manage the implementation of the program.
He said the RAT members earlier underwent trainings on SGLG assessment in Cebu City and Koronadal City in preparation for the commencement of the program.
Bungubung said the LGUs need to pass all the core assessment areas and at least one essential assessment area in order to be conferred with the SGLG.
He said LGUs conferred with the SGLG will be eligible for the Performance Challenge Fund and gain access to program windows of national government agencies, continuing capability development opportunities and loans. (MindaNews)
