TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — The Department of Interior and Local Government has awarded local government units of Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor provinces with Seal of Good Local Governance during ceremonies held at a posh resort in this city yesterday.
Interior Undersecretary Austere Panadero led the DILG in conferring the awards to these three provinces and the nine towns of Bohol; four towns and two cities of Negros Oriental; and two towns of Siquijor.
Each of the towns and cities received P3 million, while the provincial government-awardees got P7 million each.
Representatives of Cebu province, which some LGUs were also awardees, were not present during the event as they had a separate awarding ceremony held earlier, said a DILG source.
The recipient-LGUs of Bohol were the towns of Alicia, Danao, Loboc, Loon, Maribojoc, Panglao, San Miguel, Sierra-Bullones and Talibon, which were represented by their mayors—Marnilou Ayuban, Natividad Redulla-Gonzaga, Peter Lloyed Lopez, Leoncio Evasco, Leonila Montero, Claudio Bonior, Simplisio Maestrado and Restituto Auxtero, respectively.
The town-awardees of Negros Oriental, Mabinay, San Jose, Sibulan and Zamboanguita, were represented by Governor Roel Degamo, who in his acceptance speech said his family has roots of a Boholano.
The city-awardees of Negros Oriental, on the other hand, Bais City was represented by Mayor Mercedes Goni, and Dumaguete City by Vice Mayor Woodrow Maquiling.
The town-awardees of Siquijor province personally, led by Governor Zaldy Villa, were Maria town of Mayor Meynard Asok and Siquijor town of Mayor Mei Ling Quezon, who personally received the awards.
Bohol, for its part, was represented by Governor Edgar Chatto, Vice Governor Concepcion Lim and some Provincial Board members.
The SGLG was the brainchild of the late Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, whose widow, Representative Leni is now the running-mate of Liberal Party presidential bet, former Secretary Mar Roxas.
The award measures how an LGU manage and address financial housekeeping, disaster preparedness, social protection, peace and order, environmental management and business-friendliness and competitiveness. (FREEMAN)