The manner of efficiency in governance led Cadiz City to ace this year’s Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG).
Cadiz, dubbed as the “City of Whales” and “Home of Dinagsa Festival”, is among the 12 cities in Negros Occidental named as national awardees of this year’s coveted SGLG Awards.
This is the second year that Cadiz bagged the SGLG plum, the highest award so far, given to local government units in the country that undoubtedly excelled in 10 governance areas.
These include Financial Administration and Sustainability, Disaster Preparedness, Social Protection and Sensitivity, Health Compliance and Responsiveness, Sustainable Education; Business-Friendliness and Competitiveness, Safety, Peace and Order, Environmental Management, Tourism, Heritage Development, Culture the Arts, and Youth Development.
Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said he makes sure that the way he runs the city government right now is not just about the conventional delivery of public services to the people.
“Rather, I always see to it that each of the services we deliver, or implement within the orb of social governance must have focus on efficiency,” he said in a press release.
“Less inputs, greater outputs. That’s our ‘adopted lifestyle’ now in the city government. We do adhere in using minimal inputs, but we get the maximum results,” Escalante stressed.
Cadiz’s “Serbisyo Caravan”, the “Mother of all Services” reaches the 22 barangays every year, and bannered the city’s efficient government and public services.
“It saturates our constituents from all walks of life. Nobody is left behind. Everyone is entitled to avail of our many services, especially those in the vulnerable sectors,” the mayor said.
Institutionalizing a business-friendly atmosphere is also one of Cadiz’s formidable assets right now.
“It’s our ‘wow factor’ in enticing investors to come and invest in Cadiz,” Escalante said.
The city’s 11-minute policy on business application and renewal also earned respect from the business community.
It propelled Cadiz to greater heights for now having a “roaring economy” in northern Negros Occidental.
Cadiz’s environmental and tourism remarkable advocacies, headlined by its giant clams conservation on Lakawon Island in Barangay Cadiz Viejo, also made the city “beyond committed” to protecting and saving its own environment.
Escalante, however, said a mantra on efficiency can only be attained thru a participative governance.
“Empowering our department heads, village chiefs, and even ordinary Cadizeños to be part of our local government is superbly effective leading to an efficient governance,” he said. “Listening to them is my, or our city’s valuable asset towards greatness.”
Escalante said there’s always no substitute to being an “approachable and listening chief executive”.
Such attitudes necessitate people to be supportive of government.
People’s support, hence, matters in effecting effective and efficient public services, leading to a sound governance, Escalante said. ||
