TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, May 16, (PIA)— The government has just elevated the bar in determining best performing local government units (LGU), putting up five more criteria seen to raise the level of government response to its mandates.
From the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH) where the focus of LGU performance rests in accountability and transparency now comes the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) which is implemented in 2014 and onwards, announced Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) local government operations officer and SGLG point person in Bohol, Ma. Reina Quilas.
With the SGLG, aside from the performance focus on the good financial housekeeping which was SLH’s most prominent feature, the new SGLG adds up assessments for the LGU’s disaster preparedness, social protection provisions as among its core assessment criteria, she bared at the Kapihan sa PIA Thursday, May 15.
DILG said to get the coveted SGLG, LGUs mast pass in all of the above three assessment criteria.
Other than the three, LGUS aspiring for the recognition and awards should also pass at least one of the three more essential assessment criteria, which includes peace and order, environmental management and business friendliness and competitiveness.
Now on its initial year of implementation after the 4 year SGH which was set in 2010, two teams from the DILG are currently assessing LGUS based on the three plus one principle: that is passing there core assessment areas plus either of the three essential assessment areas, DiLG said.
This also means that LGUs must not have any qualified or unqualified diverse Commission on Audit opinion and they must be compliant with the government’s full disclosure policy.
This assures financial accountability and transparency in its operations, adds local government operations officer Jocelyn Balandra, at the radio forum aired at DyTR.
For disaster preparedness, for LGUS to pass, they could either be Gawad Kalasag National Awardee to automatically pass the core assessment compliance, or they must have a structure, system, plan and budget for disaster preparedness as early warning systems, evacuation centers determination, search and rescue capability, relief operations, medical and psychosocial support and peace and security in the event of disaster.
For social protection, LGUS aspiring for the awards and recognition must set up system for access to justice, public health, educational support, privilege access to frontline services to persons with disabilities and marginalized sectors, especially in giving access to basic sectors in local government decisions.
As to essential assessment areas, LGUS should also either have awarded Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and National Competitiveness Council Top-Rank LGU citation, set up a local economic investment promotions office as well as put up a business permit processing time and steps.
For environmental management, LGU would be assessed on their system of solid waste management, collection, material recovery facility and system of waste disposal.
Finally, LGUS intending to pick on the SGLG award should, at least adopt an anti-criminality plan to snag a passing point in peace and order.
As for the incentives of LGUS getting the SGLG, other than the Performance Challenge Fund, they can gain easy access to program windows of national government agencies, get assured of continued capacity development and be opened up access to local facilities. (PIABohol/RAC)
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