The month of June is a time of anticipation and preparation for local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines.
This is usually the time for the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to start assessments for LGUs for its most prestigious recognition, the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Award.
The SGLG is an institutionalized award, incentive, honor, and recognition-based program of the DILG aims to uphold its commitment in bringing about people-oriented reforms that will enable the local government units to foster a culture of good governance amid the challenges in the local government landscape.
One of these LGUs that are now undergoing evaluation is the city of Biñan, Laguna, which on May 28 faced members of the DILG's Sub-Regional Assessment Team (SUB RAT) in its bid to once again receive the SGLG Award.
"Biñan City has been a recipient of the SGLG for several years. The city was awarded the SGLG in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023. These awards highlight the city's consistent commitment to good governance, transparency, and efficient public service delivery under the leadership of Mayor Arman Dimaguila, Vice Mayor Gel Alonte and Congresswoman Len Alonte-Naguiat," Vice Mayor Gel Alonte, who led city officials during the assessment, said in a social media post.
This meant added pressure on the city government to prove not only to the DILG but also to Biñanenses themselves that it is worthy of once again gaining this prestigious recognition.
“Dahil po ang SGLG ay isang system ng pamahalaan na patuloy na nag-a-upgrade, marami pong mga additional indicators na ipinasok ang Council of Good Local Governance (CGLG), which consists of line agencies from the National Government, sa ating 2024 SGLG,” Fatima Alon, the DILG local officer assigned in Biñan City, said in a message to OpinYon Laguna.
“May mga indicators na for consideration last year, na sa ngayon ay mandatory indicators na. May mga indicators din na for profiling, ito ay upang ihanda ang LGUs sa mga padating na indicators sa mga susunod na taong implementasyon ng SGLG,” she added.
Alon was happy to report that during the SUB RAT Assessment for Biñan, the assessors had “no significant comments” in its performance areas and that so far, it has complied with the minimum requirements from the DILG for its SGLG validation.
Significance to Biñanenses
The six SGLG Awards that Biñan City have received from the DILG in the past not only serves as proof of exemplary service to Biñanenses but also incentivizes the local government to “do better,” Alon added.
“[Nagreresulta po ito sa] exemplary delivery of government service po para sa mga mamamayan dahil sinusunod ng lungsod ang mga policies at patakaran mandated by law on 10 Performance Areas ni SGLG. Also, through the SGLG, nakakatanggap ang LGUs ng SGLG Incentive Fund na dina-download po sa mga passers ng SGLG to implement and fund development projects. Isa sa successful na proyekto ng binan out of that fund ay ang Balay Silangan Reformation Center po natin,” she explained.
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