By Chito Chavez
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) assured to cover all bases in ensuring that the local government units (LGU) are on track of “not only being good but excellent at governance.’’
DILG officer-in-charge (OIC) Eduardo M. Año said that there will be no slackening in achieving the goal just as much as there is no let-up in the anti-crime and anti-illegal drugs agenda of the government.
DILG officer-in-charge (OIC) Eduardo M. Año (Bullit Marquez/AP/MANILA BULLETIN/File Photo)
“The advancement of local governance is just as important as protecting peace and order. The whole of the Department and its attached agencies are in no way slackening on our commitments in both the interior and local government sectors,” said Año.
“It’s high time that we Filipinos not only aspire for ‘good’ governance but excellence and the DILG has over a dozen of ‘reform tools’ to move and assist LGUs towards that,” he added.
For the public to take part in developing their communities, he says that citizens must first be empowered by knowing the programs, projects, and activities of the national and local governments.
“I’m pleased to join the DILG at its prime of delivering concrete results and I pledge to sustain and build on its feats,” he noted.
Año lauded the 12 initiatives of the DILG for provinces, cities, and towns down to barangays that he said must be known by the Filipino public. Among these are:
One, the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) is a progressive assessment system to give distinction to remarkable local government performance across several areas.
Two, the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) to fund and implement development programs and projects like local access roads, urban roads and bridges, maternal or health birthing clinics, water supply systems.
Three, Full Disclosure Policy (FDP) which requires LGUs to disclose documents on their budget management, disbursement, and utilization to their constituents.
Four, Business Process Licensing System (BPLS) Automation which now use one, unified form, taking three steps or less to process, requiring two signatories or less for approval, and just two days or less processing time.
Other reform tools are the Assistance to Disadvantaged Municipalities (ADM) - Water Project and Local Access Projects; Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces (CMGP) for road repair, rehabilitation and improvement; Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentives Awards (LTIA); Citizen Satisfaction Index System (CSIS); ublic-Private Partnership for the People Initiative for Local Governments Program (LGU P4); Operation Listo, an advocacy program mandating disaster-preparedness of LGUs.