MANILA, Philippines - The municipal government of Pagsanjan, Laguna was recently conferred the Seal of Good Housekeeping Silver Grade by the Department of the Interior and Local Government for its financial stewardship and sound fiscal management.
This is the second award given to the municipality under the administration of Mayor Girlie Javier-Ejercito.
The Seal of Good Housekeeping program aims to recognize the good performance of local government units in the areas of internal housekeeping, particularly in the areas of local legislation, development planning, resource generation, resource allocation and utilization, customer service and human resource management and development, as well as in valuing the fundamentals of good governance.
The award was given during the recent opening ceremonies of the 16th Bangkero Festival held at the Pagsanjan public plaza.
Ejercito said the DILG award is timely with the municipal government’s thrust to promote good governance through the institution of reforms for better delivery of basic social services.
The local government set up a one-stop shop in 2012 which puts together under one roof municipal requirements to expedite release of relevant government documents, permits and licenses.
She added that the Bangkero Festival brings to the fore the economic gains of the town as a result of its tourism and investment promotional thrust.
Pagsanjan was declared by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Laguna as the “Tourist Capital†of the province because of its volume of visitor arrivals, which hit the 140,000 mark in 2013.
This year, the town is aiming for 170,000 tourists, especially with the reduced local rates for boat rides in the famed rapids during special events and group packages.