Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos led on Sunday morning the inauguration of a P5 million street-lighting project in Mangaldan, Pangasinan.

The project involves the installation of 115 solar panels to provide lighting along the Alangacan Road traversing barangays Tebag, Salaan, Palua, and a portion of Pogo, and directly benefiting the Angalacan Eco-Tourism Park which is one of the main tourist destinations in the town.

It was funded through the Seal of Good Local Governance incentive the municipality won last year.

Abalos commended the Municipal Government of Mangaldan for winning the prestigious SGLG Award multiple times and for putting the incentive into good use.

"Sa SGLG, pinipili namin ang pinakamagagaling na LGUs. Napakahirap manalo dito, para kang pumapasok sa butas ng karayom. At ako ay natutuwa dahil laging lumulusot ang Mangaldan," Abalos said in his message during the inauguration ceremony.

"Natutuwa ako na ginamit ang SGLG Incentive fund sa tamang paraan. Napakaimportante ng pailaw na ito, ng installation ng 115 solar lights. Lagi kong sinasabi, what if ang naglalakad sa gabi ay anak nating babae, o asawa nating babae, yan ang laging barometer ko kung safe ang lugar," he added.

The project is already the 5th SGLG-funded initiative in Mangaldan town having won the award in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022.

He also urged local officials to be proactive in their leadership by engaging in regular dialogue with their constituents and collectively finding and implementing solutions to their locality's problems.

"Leadership is knowing about your community. Ang pagiging magaling na lider ay ang pag-alam sa iyong lugar, sa kalakasan nito at kahinaan nito. Makukuha mo ang solusyon sa pakikipagdayalogo sa mga tao. Kailangang makasalamuha mo ang tao," he said.

"Matapos mo makonsulta ang tao makasama ang tao sa pag-implementa and once you implement it, i tell you, you cannot go wrong because that is leadership coming from the heart, coming from the community. It's a proactive kind of leadership," he added.

He also urged them to harness agriculture which is the biggest resource of their town and province and continue to work for the welfare of their constituents.

"Ang yaman at lakas n'yo ay agrikultura, harness this at kasama n'yo ako dito," he said.

Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe De Vera-Parayno expressed her gratitude to the DILG for the SGLG incentive and for serving as an inspiration. "Taos-puso kaming nagpapasalamat kay Secretary Abalos at sa DILG sa pagbibigay ng proyektong ito at sa inspirasyon ng pagiging matino, mahusay at maaasahan," she said.

The SGLG is an institutionalized award, incentive, honor, and recognition-based program, that aims to bring about inclusive and people-oriented reforms that will enable LGUs to foster a culture of good governance.