By Saul Pa-a and Zen A. Trinidad (PNA)
LUCENA CITY, Quezon – Quezon province bagged anew the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Award conferred by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as the highest award for local government units (LGUs) which have proven governance excellence and competence in local administration in their respective communities.
In a report Friday, the Quezon public information office said Governor David C. Suarez beamed with pride for the highest honor accorded to the province, as one of only two provinces with Laguna, in the Calabarzon Region which bagged the coveted award.
The province received the award Wednesday during the ceremony held at the Manila Hotel.
According to the Quezon PIO, besides the SGLG award for the province, the Quezon towns of Mauban, Gumaca, Panukulan and San Antonio also passed the assessment of the DILG selection committee for the local government performance awards.
The 2018 Seal of Good Local Governance under Senate Bill No. 1843 was approved on third and final reading at the Senate and the SGLG committee has introduced the “All-in” criteria from the previous “4+1” criteria established in 2017.
This year’s criteria now include financial administration, disaster preparedness, social protection, peace and order, business-friendliness and competitiveness, environmental management and tourism, culture and the arts, health compliance and responsiveness and program for sustainable education.
According to DILG data, around 289 or 38 percent has been recorded as consistent passer of the SGLG award from 2017 to 2018 where Quezon province is among these consistent passers.
The department also recognized the increasing number of LGUs that have qualified for the SGLG, an indication that the LGUs have demonstrated their abilities and capacities to meet the DILG’s stringent criteria.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, who graced the awards rite said the department evaluators have undertaken the extensive screening and evaluation for the LGU recipients this year.
Año said that only the best of the best were given due recognition because we wanted to aim for quality and not quantity.
“It is my honor to recognize the efforts of our local chief executives, especially our mayors and governors for stirring your LGUs to better heights,” he said.
The DILG chief also expressed optimism on the increasing trend of model LGUs in the country that have demonstrated excellence in public service as he challenged all other LGUs to follow suit to scale up their level of local governance performance.
