350 LGUs to get good governance award

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 350 local government units (LGUs) will receive the 2022 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award for their exemplary performance amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said 18 provinces, 60 cities and 272 municipalities passed the SGLG parameters despite the challenges posed by the global health crisis.

“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,” DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said in a statement.

Only a fifth of 1,715 provinces, cities and municipalities passed the parameters and will receive the SGLG this year.

These LGUs passed several governance criteria including financial administration, disaster preparedness, social protection, health responsiveness, sustainable education, business-friendliness, peace and order, environmental management, tourism, culture and arts, and youth development.

Central Luzon has the highest number of awardees with a total of 61 awards for 51 municipalities, six cities and two provinces.

It is followed by Ilocos region with 54 awardees and Cagayan Valley with 35.

There are five SGLG awardees in Metro Manila, 29 in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), 27 in Western Visayas and 26 in Northern Mindanao.

The LGU awardees will be conferred their SGLG marker in an awarding ceremony set next month.

The awardees are eligible for the SGLG Incentive Fund to finance their local development initiatives in support of national goals and thrusts.