At least 90 percent of the provinces, cities and municipalities nationwide have become more transparent during the past year as 1,551 of the 1,713 local government units (LGUs) have complied with the Full Disclosure Policy which requires local governments to post their budget and other financial transactions in websites, newspapers of general circulation and conspicuous places within their localities.

In the Department’s Accomplishment Report for 2011, Secretary Jesse M. Robredo of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that this high compliance rating can be attributed to the growing awakening among LGUs that good governance is synonymous to transparency.

 

Of the 1,551 compliant LGUs, the report noted, 72 are provinces, 132 are cities and 1,347 are municipalities.

Robredo said that even barangays heeded the call for disclosure as 23,584 of the 42,026 barangays nationwide have also posted their important financial reports in conspicuous places.

“Local governments are now embracing the concept of transparency and accountability and have joined the journey towards good local governance,” he said.

The DILG Secretary also said that in 2011, the Department continued to give high premium on local government performance as a total of 1,325 LGUs were conferred with the Seal of Good Housekeeping for showing strong performance in key local governance areas, complying with the FDP and having no adverse findings from the Commission on Audit.

Of this number, he said, 351 LGUs became recipients of the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) amounting to P7-million for each high performing province, P3M for city and P1M for municipality which they used to hasten their anti-poverty initiatives and lessen their constituents’ vulnerability to disasters.

“The days of mediocrity are over and from here on, strong performance shall be the cornerstone of any support that the government and development partners will provide LGUs,” said the DILG chief.

On disaster prevention and mitigation, the Department issued a policy on calamity-response protocols that led to the activation of disaster command and auxiliary command centers in 1,030 LGUs, 941 LGUs with area-wide warning and alarm system, 836 with developed emergency response, rescue and medical teams and 846 LGUs with evacuation centers as of November 30, 2011. Sixty-nine (69) provinces, 114 cities, 1,128 municipalities and 1,699 barangays nationwide have also reorganized and enhanced the capacities of their respective Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils in compliance with RA No. 10211.

The DILG also conducted disaster preparedness audit in all provinces throughout the country, and ensured that disaster risk reduction and management is integrated in local government systems and processes, specifically in planning and budgeting.

Other notable accomplishments for 2011 in the Local Government Sector are as follows:

• Allotted Php10-Billion for the on-site in-city housing construction and development of Medium Rise Buildings for some 19,200 informal settler families living in danger areas in Quezon City, Pasay and Manila.
• Streamlined business permits and licensing system of 437 LGUs out of the 480 target LGUs. Aside from this, 121 non-target LGUs are undergoing the process of reforms, with 49 using the BPLS while the 72 are still in various phases of reforms.
• Forged meaningful partnerships with 32 CSOs/NGOs/POs with national networks and 240 CSOs/NGOs/POs with regional networks.
• Pushed for certain amendments to the Code, particularly on widening the LGU tax base, and removing some exemptions; increasing the amount and ceiling on taxes to enhance their capability to raise their own revenues.
• Laid down the ARMM Roadmap for Reforms and Good Governance which aims to stem chronic absenteeism among officials and employees and the existence of “ghost employees” in the region; end collusion between and among scrupulous local officials and “ghost suppliers” for “ghost projects”; ensure that the regional government and LGUs under its supervision strictly comply with laws; ensure that the ARMM strictly adhere with the Full Disclosure Policy (FDP), among others.
• Completed 11 road projects covering 56.80 kms in seven provinces by the Department’s Provincial Road Management Facility (PRMF), in partnership with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)

On peace and order and public safety, the following are the top accomplishments for 2011:

• A drop in crime incidents by 23.36% or from 324,083 in 2010 to 248,378 in 2011
• A decrease in the number of fire incidents responded nationwide by 22%, as well as fire casualties by 13% during the 3rd quarter of 2011 compared with the same period in 2010.
• Anti-carnapping operations of the PNP conducted as of October last year resulted in the recovery of 537 out of the 822 motor vehicles and motorcycles reported stolen, registering a recovery efficiency of 65%. As the result of these operations, 126 persons were arrested and 67 criminal cases were filed in court.
• With its heightened operations against motorcycle-riding-in tandem, the PNP was able to neutralize 298 suspects, file 158 cases in court and solve 177 others.
• The PNP was also able to neutralize 12 kidnap-for-ransom (KFR) suspects, which led to the arrest of KFR leader Abdulraman Talib Mabang @ Commander Keneng and the filing of six KFR cases in court.
• Paralegal assistance to inmates through which 4,525 inmates were screened and found to be qualified for release as of October 31, 2011.
• Conduct of mandatory and specialized training to uniformed personnel wherein 13,275 PNP, 1,785 BFP and 885 BJMP personnel were recipients of various educational degree and career courses.

On the other hand, the DILG also made those accountable account for their misdeeds as the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group formally filed before the Office of the Ombudsman plunder raps against former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and other conspirators, involved in the 2009 spurious procurement of Robinsons R44 Raven 1 helicopters passed as brand new at a price of P105-million.

The Department also initiated an investigation to determine the criminal liability of officials and some suppliers involved in the contract for the repair and refurbishing of 28 V-150 Light Armored Vehicles worth P409.74-million in 2007 that was found to be in gross violations of procurement procedures.

It also referred to the Office of the Ombudsman the case of the anomalous procurement of P131-million worth of defective rubber boats whose engines did not match specifications given by the National Police Commission.

Similarly, the Department carried out internal governance reforms to become more effective in the discharge of its own duties and responsibilities. Among such reforms are the following:

• Installed the Procurement Management Information system and Assets Management System in the DILG Central Office to ensure that equipment and supplies are equitably distributed among its personnel and for ease in tracking the utilization of its logistical resources.
• Generated a total savings amounting to P1.9-million in the procurement of supplies, materials and services in 2011 through strict adherence to RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Law
• Reduced the Department’s telecommunication expenses by P30,400 a month or a total of P364,800 a year through the conversion of existing analog telephone lines into a single connection under the IP Telephony Project