DILG awards top performing LGUS

GOOD GOVERNANCE --- DILG-ARMM Secretary Atty. Noor Hafizullah “Kirby” Abdullah (2^nd from right) awards the “Seal of Good Financial Housekeeping” to the local government unit of Sultan Sa Barongis through Mayor Ramdatu Angas during  awarding ceremony last January 31 in Cotabato City. With Abdullah are DILG Maguindanao Director Amina T. Dalandag (left) and DILG-ARMM Assistant Secretary Sharifa Pearlsia Dans. (GILMHAR A. LAO - MINDANAO EXPOSE’)

COTABATO CITY --- The Department of the Interior and Local Government in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DILG-ARMM) has awarded the top performing local government units (LGUs) in the province of Maguindanao last January 31 in rites held at the Alnor Convention Center, this city.

Known as the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG), the awarding is accorded by the department in a bid to further strengthen the accountabilities of LGUs. It is a derivative and an innovative version of the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH).

The SGH monitors and awards LGUs with good performance in internal housekeeping, specifically in areas of local legislation, development planning, resource generation, and resource allocation.

DILG-ARMM Secretary Atty. Noor Hafizullah “Kirby” Abdullah said the SGLG has six basic elements: good financial keeping, disaster preparedness, social protection, business friendliness and competitiveness, environment management, and peace and order.

“Outside housekeeping, the SGLG introduces mechanisms for the LGUs for them to be able to provide services and be responsive to various needs of their constituents at the local level,” he said.

The 2016 SGLG national awardees under good financial housekeeping included the province of Maguindanao together with the municipalities of Upi and Parang.

The 2015 SGLG “Post Compliance” awardees included the municipalities of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Buluan, Ampatuan, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Pagalungan, South Upi, Sultan Kudarat, and Sultan Mastura.

For the 2016 SGLG “Good Financial Housekeeping,” passers included the municipalities of Datu Piang, Paglat, Datu Paglas, Datu Montawal, Sultan Kudarat, Pagalungan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Parang, General Salipada K. Pendatun, Sultan Sa Barongis, Ampatuan, Barira, Buluan, South Upi, Matanog, Upi, Guindulungan, Talayan, Buldon, Sultan Mastura, and Kabuntalan and the province of Maguindanao.

Passers of the 2016 SLGLG “Core and Essential Assessment Areas” included the municipalities of Ampatuan, Barira, Buldon, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Datu Montawal, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Paglas, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Pagalungan, South Upi, Sultan Kudarat, and Talitay.

Abdullah said the SGLG aims at attaining the condition where LGUs sustain the practice of accountability and transparency and espouse a pro-active financial management (Good Financial Housekeeping); adequately and effectively prepare for the challenges posed by disasters (Disaster Preparedness); are sensitive to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized sectors of the society (Social Protection); encourage investment and employment (Business-Friendly LGUs); protect the constituents from threats to life and security (Law and Order and Public Safety); and safeguard the integrity of the environment. At the minimum, LGUs comply with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (Environmental Protection).

“To be an SGLG recipient, we adopt 3 plus 1 principle. The LGUs must pass all three of core assessment: good financial housekeeping, disaster preparedness, and social protection which are priorities for the initial year. They must also pass at least one essential assessment which is supplemental: business friendliness and competitiveness; environmental protection, law and order, and public safety,” he said.

For Good Financial Housekeeping, LGUs should provide unqualified or qualified annual audit report, compliance to full disclosure policy, compliance to PhilGEPS posting, percenrtage of locally-sourced revenue to total LGU revenue, percentage of General Service expenditure to total expenditure, and cost-to-collect revenue.

For Disaster Preparedness, LGUs should have Disaster Risk Reduction Management competencies of LDRRMO, incident commander trained, percentage  of evacuation centers located in safe areas, percentage of barangays with evacuation plan, posting of ‘susceptibility maps’ in every barangays, and presence of external support system.

For Social Protection, LGUs should have express lanes for pregnant women and persons with disabilities; ramps and handrails in public and private buildings for PWDs; maternal health care package, hygiene kits for women, mandatory representation of indigenous people (IP) in the Sanggunian; and Seal of Child-friendly recipient or functionality of local council for the protection of children.

Under business-friendly and competitiveness, LGUs should have streamlined business permit and licensing system (time and steps); year-on-year increase of new and renewal registration for business; establishment of a Local Economic and Investment Promotion officers (LEIPO); year-on-year increase in number of jobs created from new and renewed business; percentage of annual capital expense for local infra to total expenditure; and size of local road network as a share of total land area.

As for Environmental Compliance, LGUs should have mandatory segregated waste collection; presence of operational materials; recovery facility; presence of or access to sanitary landfill through contract or memorandum of agreement with host LGU; and LGU innovations on environmental management.

For the Law and Order and Public Safety, the LGUs should have LGU-accredited maintained youth homes and rehabilitation centers for children-in-conflict with the law; LGU-accredited maintained rehabilitation centers for drug dependents; functional LGU hotline/complaint system; LGU aid to Philippine National Police (cars, equipage, etc.); percentage of CCTV installation in major thoroughfares; designated pyrotechnic zone; percentage of data uploaded in the e-Crime incidence; and reporting system database.

Maguindanao Governor Esmael “Toto” G. Mangudadatu said he is elated with the newest achievement as he stressed that LGUs, together with the people and other monitoring bodies, the province will be able to perform better in the years to come.

“We would like to thank the DILG, our local chief executives, and partners for this great achievement. Let me also take this opportunity to thank the work force behind the provincial government of Maguindanao. Hindi natin ito magagawa kung wala sila,” he said. (GILMHAR A. LAO & ANNE B. ACOSTA- MINDANAO EXPOSE’)