The unique brand of Biñan City’s 'Big Three Leaders' that carried the city through the grueling two years of the Covid-19 pandemic has been rewarded with a series of awards from different sectors and government agencies that the city and its officials received in the past three months, topped by the Seal of Good Local Governance from the Department of Interior and Local Government.
IN his inaugural speech last June 30, Biñan City, Laguna Mayor Walfredo “Arman” Dimaguila made a solemn pledge to his constituents: “Mas gagalingan pa natin, mas pagbubutihin pa natin.”
Six months into his third term, Dimaguila, along with the other members of the so-called Biñan’s “Big Three Leaders” – Vice Mayor Gel Alonte and Rep. Len Alonte – are on their way to fulfilling that pledge.
The “Big Three’s” unique brand of performance that has carried Biñan City through the grueling two years of the Covid-19 pandemic has been rewarded with a series of awards from different sectors and government agencies that the city and its officials garnered in the past three months.
Culminating this string of awards, the city government of Biñan, for the fourth time, bagged the most prestigious and most-coveted award among local government units in the Philippines: the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Mayor Dimaguila, Vice Mayor Alonte and Representative Alonte personally received the award from the DILG during the SGLG Awarding Ceremony at the Manila Hotel last December 15.
Rigorous Screening
The SGLG award, which was institutionalized under Republic Act 11292 or The Seal of Good Local Governance Act of 2019, is now considered as THE benchmark for the performance of all LGUs in the Philippines.
LGUs must pass the following governance areas in order to receive the award: financial administration and sustainability; disaster preparedness; social protection and sensitivity; health compliance and responsiveness; sustainable education; business-friendliness and competitiveness; safety, peace and order; environmental management; tourism, heritage development, culture and arts, and youth development.
And for this year, LGUs have to pass through even more rigorous screening to receive the SGLG award, as evidenced by the fact that Biñan City is among the fortunate 20.4 percent – or 350 out of 1,715 LGUs in the Philippines – to receive the award, according to DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos.
“Covid-19 is a huge roadblock in public service yet this year’s SGLG awardees persisted. I congratulate all 350 LGUs for their exemplary performance in delivering quality public service to their localities and for bagging the 2022 SGLG Award. I commend you for your commitment to raising local governance standards despite the challenges brought by the pandemic and other calamities we have faced in recent years,” Abalos said in a statement.
Incentive Fund
For Mayor Dimaguila, the SGLG Awards meant more than the recognition from the national government of the Biñan City LGU’s “best practices” in local governance.
In his Facebook post on December 15, the city mayor bared that the award also carries a P7-million incentive fund from the DILG – funds that the LGU can use as additional money for their major projects.
Dimaguila also assured his constituents that this incentive fund will not go to waste.
“Ang mga nakaraang SGLG Incentive fund na natanggap ng ating lungsod ay ginamit sa pagbili ng Biñan PNP mobile cars, Biñan PNP SWAT vehicle, construction of Balay Silangan, at dalawang CSWD (Balay Silangan and Bahay Pagasa) multi-purpose vans,” the mayor shared.
For Vice Mayor Gel Alonte, on the other hand, the SGLG Award is proof of the Big Three’s “effective” leadership that has carried the city through the challenges of the past years.
The vice mayor likened the city’s leadership to an airplane where each official, from the city mayor, the vice mayor and the Sangguniang Panglungsod down to the department heads and staff, carries own duties.
“Nakakatuwa na tayong lahat ay nagtulong-tulong, hindi lang iisang tao,” he explained. Kumbaga sa eroplano, si Mayor Arman ang kapitan, ako yung co-pilot, tapos yung Sanggunian ang flight attendants Dapat magaling yung kapitan at yung co-pilot para pag lumipad, at kung nagka-problema ay mailatag natin ng maayos. Kaya sa ating mga talaga department heads, nagpapasalamat kami sa kanilang pagsisikap, saka sa media na nakatulong rin sa pag-boost ng ating mga programa at para makilala ang ating lungsod.”
Other Awards
The SGLG Awards is the latest in a string of awards and recognition received by the city government of Biñan for the month of December alone.
These awards include the National Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) last December 13, in which the city government of garnered a perfect score of 100 points in the ADAC functionality and awarding assessments in relation to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of their anti-illegal drug activities.
The city government, on that same day, also won 1st Place in the 2020 MANILA BAYani Awards Incentives City Category and 3rd Place in the 2021 MANILA BAYani Awards Incentives City Category, in recognition for their contribution to efforts to rehabilitate Manila Bay.
And on December 20, the provincial government of Laguna recognized the City Government of Biñan as the Most Outstanding LGU in Laguna for Culture and Tourism.
Mayor Dimaguila was also recognized as the Most Outstanding Local Chief Executive in Laguna for Culture and Tourism, while BJ Borja, head of the Biñan City Culture, History, Arts and Tourism Office (BCHATO), was awarded the Most Outstanding Tourism Officer of Laguna.
Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Gel Alonte also received his own share of recognition after bagging the Outstanding Filipino Achiever Award for Public Service at the recent Golden Globe Annual Award for Business last December 16.
In a recent interview with OpinYon Laguna, Alonte said he was “overwhelmed” not only with this award but also with the series of recognitions the local government has received so far in the past months.
“Napakasaya namin dahil sakto sa Christmas ay napasama tayo sa naturang award," the vice mayor said. "Nakakatuwa, kasi yung pagod na ginagawa mo, yung sakripisyo mo para sa public service, kumbaga, nasuklian kahit sa simpleng award na ito, na talagang sobrang sarap sa pakiramdam."
Biñan Rep. Len Alonte was also recently recognized as one of the "Top Performing" District Representatives in the Calabarzon region – an honor which she said motivated her to work even harder not only for Biñanenses but also for Filipinos.
"Lalo po tayong inspired na magtrabaho. Ang aming programang Alagang Len ay patuloy na magsisikap na maabot ang mga Biñanenseng lubhang nangangailangan ng pagkalinga ng pamahalaan," the representative said in her Facebook page last December 23.