PUERTO PRINCESA CITY “•Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron and his administration have received the prestigious Seal of Good Local Governance from the Department of Interior and Local Government for the second straight year, a testament to his outstanding leadership and governance of the city.
Bayron and 20 other local chief executives in Region lV-B or Mimaropa were top awardees from among the 448 winners of the tough SGLG contest for 2017.
In an interview, Bayron said his administration passed all parameters of all of the SGLG’s essential areas: business friendliness and competitiveness (for the residents’ business and employment opportunities); environment management (safeguarding the integrity of the environment); and tourism, culture and the arts (the city’s efforts to promote and develop its tourism industry). Benjamin B. Chavez
“In winning the coveted SGLG award, the City of Puerto Princesa can now have best opportunities and accomplishments that will be created from the financial reward, in the form of performance fund entitlement, and public trust that will be built as inspired by the Good Financial Housekeeping Certification,” Bayron said.
“I am confident that Puerto Princesa City topped the Financial Administration Category in the four cores where the SGLG award was based on. It only signifies, based on DILG’s stringent assessment and scrutiny, that the city is financially sound and runs with an improved governance,” he added.
Bayron also congratulated the city officials and employees for a job well done, and encouraged them to work with him “with fervent loyalty and cooperation” for the betterment of the lives of all Puerto Princesa residents.
“It is imperative for the progress of the city and its people that we in the city government, including residents, all strive to bring the best every day in our lives to fulfill our dreams and aspiration,” Bayron said.
Out of 1,725 local government units in the country, the winners in the 2017 SGLG awards meritoriously passed the upgraded criteria for this year’s contest that covers four core areas, namely financial administration, disaster preparedness, social protection and peace and order.
DILG Officer-In-Charge Catalino S. Cuy said winners and passers are conferred with a SGLG marker to be placed in their provincial, city, and municipal halls, and are given a Performance Challenge Fund, an incentive in millions of pesos, to be used for local development projects.
in 2016, only 306 LGUs made the mark and conferred with the Seal. This year, 448 LGUs across the country hit the mark and were awarded.
“This is a very good indication of the improving governance in LGUs and it means better service to the people in communities,” Cuy said.