493 local governments get incentive fund for good performance

Department of the Interior and Local Government

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 493 local governments are eligible for an incentive fund amounting to millions in recognition and support for high-performing provincial, city, and municipal governments in the country.

In its yearend report, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said 28 provinces, 64 cities, and 401 municipalities received the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) in an awarding ceremony on Dec. 14 in Manila. It has been the second year since the SGLG’s resumption following its deferment for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This means 34 percent of the 82 provinces, 43 percent of the 148 cities, and 27 percent of 1,486 municipalities in the country are considered among the best in local governance.

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Twenty-two of these local governments are seven-time awardees, after sustaining their good performance since 2015 when the SGLG was first conferred. Around 94 local governments have received the recognition for the first time.

Each local government awardee will receive an SGLG marker and an incentive fund of P4 million for the province, P2.3 million for the cities, and P1.8 million for the municipalities to support their respective local development initiatives.

The SGLG, enacted through Republic Act No. 11292 in 2019, is an institutionalized award, incentive, honor and recognition-based program that encourages the commitment of local governments to continuously progress and improve their performance in various areas of governance.

For a local government to receive the SGLG, it must pass all 10 criteria: financial administration and sustainability; disaster preparedness; social protection and sensitivity; health compliance and responsiveness; sustainable education; business-friendliness and competitiveness; safety, peace and order; environmental management; tourism, heritage development, culture and arts; and youth development.

The SGLG incentive fund, formerly known as the Performance Challenge Fund, will be taken from the annual government appropriations.