Come September of this year, the Bureau of Local Government Supervision (BLGS), together with DILG- partners: the Leagues of Provinces, Cities and Municipalities and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines; other NGAs; academe; private sectors; and civil society organizations shall convene as the National Assessment Team, with the Undersecretary for Local Government (USLG) as Chairperson for the national validation. With all the efforts and hard work being exerted by all concerned, and with Gov. Abet Garcia’s full support, the governor has high hopes that Bataan will get the much coveted seal.
Recipients of the Seal are eligible to access the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF), a support fund to finance local development initiatives in furtherance of national government goals and strategic thrusts. Access to other program windows and capacity development assistance from the DILG will form part of the incentives package, subject to national policies and guidelines.
From its pilot run in 2010, the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH), a program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in local government operations, which assesses financial housekeeping through compliance with COA’s accounting and auditing standards and the Department’s Full Disclosure Policy, this year, DILG scales up the SGH into the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) to promote transparency and accountability in the use of public funds by delivering basic services that are responsive to people’s needs.
In this context, the SGLG is a recognition of good performance of provincial, city and municipal governments, not only on financial housekeeping, but also on other areas that directly benefit the people. It is a continuing challenge for local governments to perform better, and ultimately, achieve a desirable condition where local governments: (a) Sustain the practice of transparency and accountability in the use of public funds; (b) Prepare for challenges posed by disasters; (c) Demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized sectors of society; (d) Encourage investment and employment; (e) Protect constituents from threats to life and security; and (f) Safeguard the integrity of the environment.
