• CHERYL G. CRUZ
San Carlos Mayor Renato Gustilo led city officials in receiving the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Award from Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos in a ceremony in Manila last night, Dec. 14.
“San Carlos is among the eight cities in the entire country and the only city in the Visayas to have been awarded for seven consecutive years,” Gustilo said in a post last night, adding that he was greatly honored and pleased to receive the SGLG Award in Manila Hotel.
The mayor said “this SGLG award is the long-enduring testament of our consistency in delivering good governance and quality public service. Together, we proudly say, Vamos, San Carlos!”
The DILG said San Carlos is among the 22 LGUs in the circle of seven-time passers, after sustaining their good performance since 2015 when the SGLG was first conferred. The province of Aklan is also in the circle, along with other LGUs, mostly in the National Capital Region and Luzon.
The city said winning the award not only brings recognition but also comes with a P2.3 million incentive fund subsidy.
Aside from San Carlos, the highly-urbanized Bacolod City, the province of Negros Occidental, the cities of Victorias, Cadiz, Escalante, Himamaylan, Sagay, and Talisay, as well as the towns of La Castellana and Manapla also received their respective SGLGs.
There are 493 SGLG awardees this year, composed of 28 provinces, 64 cities, and 401 municipalities.
Each LGU awardee received an SGLG marker, and incentive fund of P4 million for provinces, P2.3 million for cities, and P1.8 million for municipalities, the DILG said, adding the reward money should be used to support local development initiatives.
Republic Act No. 11292, or The Seal of Good Local Governance Act of 2019, institutionalized the SGLG, an incentive, honor, and recognition-based program of the DILG that encourages LGUs’ commitment to continuous progress and improve their performance along various governance areas.
At the awarding ceremony last night, Abalos urged the SGLG awardees, 94 of them first timers, to share their success stories with other LGUs, and “to espouse a culture of excellence among LGUs and ensure that no community will be left behind in the country’s thrust towards prosperity. | CGC
