CEBU, Philippines - Three local government units of Negros Oriental won in the Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentives Awards and two others from Bohol received P1 million each from the Department of the Interior and Local Government under its Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) program.
Barangay Jantianon in Amlan won in the 4th to 6th class municipality category, Magatas, Sibulan in the 1st to 3rd class municipality and Barangay Dos, Bais City in the component city category.
Negros Oriental bested all other nominees including five from Cebu. The towns of Balilihan and Catigbi-an in Bohol also received P1 million each from the DILG.
They were granted the amount for their sound fiscal management, transparency, accountability, good planning and good performance monitoring.
The Office of the DILG secretary gave the two municipalities the Seal of Good Housekeeping.
PCF program aims to stimulate LGUs to put premium on performance in order to avail of counterpart funding to use in jumpstarting local economic development initiatives for the reduction or eradication of poverty in their areas.
The fund is part of the P30M initial budget for Fiscal Year 2010 which the DILG has set aside from savings as incentive for good LGU performance.
For 2011, DILG will be allocating P500M which is set aside for the PCF under the DILG’s P86.9B department budget.
Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who was guest speaker during the awarding, considered the lupong tagapamayapa as the “vanguards of social healing” and avert bigger rift in their respective localities.
She also said that President Benigno Aquino III is giving importance to barangays in the country as it is the basic political unit that delivers basic services to the people. (FREEMAN)