The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region IX successfully concluded the series of awarding ceremonies of the 2015 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) to recipient local government units (LGUs) in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

Based on the results of validation, four (4) local government units in Region IX passed the Seal of Good Local Governance for 2015 which included the Province of Zamboanga del Norte, and the municipalities of Lapuyan of Zamboanga del Sur, Imelda of Zamboanga Sibugay and the municipality of Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte, respectively.

Following the release of the results, DILG Regional Office IX in coordination with its Field Operating Units and the concerned LGUs conducted a series of localized conferment ceremonies on the following dates and venues:

Zamboanga del Norte – September 3, 2015, Zambo. Norte Convention Center, Dipolog City

Lapuyan, Zamboanga del Sur – September 7, 2015, Municipal Hall Grounds, Lapuyan, Zambo. Sur

Imelda, Zamboanga Sibugay – September 8, 2015, Municipal Gymnasium, Imelda, Zambo. Sibugay

Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte – September 15, 2015, Municipal Hall, Kalawit, Zambo. Norte

Initially introduced as the Seal of Good Housekeeping in 2010, the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) is a performance-based incentive for LGUs that showcased excellent performance and practices  in local governance with the ultimate goal of ensuring the provision of better and quality public service delivery.

Applying the 3 plus 1 principle, provinces, cities and municipalities were assessed on the basis of the set of criteria provided whereby an LGU must pass the three (3) Core Assessment areas namely, Good Financial Housekeeping, Disaster Preparedness and Social Protection, and pass at least one (1) of the three (3) essential areas, namely, Business-Friendliness and Competitiveness, Environmental Management and Peace and Order, respectively.

Conducted through the cross-posting scheme, the initial stage of assessment of LGUs was conducted by the Regional Assessment Team (RAT) composed of representatives of the various partner National Government Agencies (NGAs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Local Resource Institutions (LRIs). Regional Assessment results were then forwarded to the national level for validation.

At the local front, DILG IX Regional Director Paisal O. Abutazil said that the SGLG is an effective mechanism to push the LGUs to take their local actions and initiatives a notch higher in terms of service delivery.

“More than the monetary incentive, the SGLG symbolizes transparency, accountability, integrity and is a solid proof of excellent performance of local governments,” RD Abutazil said.

Further, LGU recipients of the Seal are entitled to receive a Performance Challenge Fund Incentive (PCF) intended for high-impact local development projects – P7 Million for the Provinces, P5 Million for the Cities and P3 Million for the Municipalities.