Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar and Vice-Mayor April Aguilar feted employees, officials, and operating units that demonstrated outstanding performance in the delivery of programs, projects, and activities of the city government and national agencies in the 2023 Local Governance Exemplar Awards during the flag raising ceremony on Monday, 20 November, held at the Las Piñas City Hall.

Mayor Imelda Aguilar said the Las Piñas City Local Governance Exemplar Award (LPCLGEA) was created to establish a mechanism for identifying, selecting, and providing rewards and incentives to deserving offices, officials, and employees and identifying outstanding accomplishments of offices and employees in upholding the principles of knowledge management, convergence, and multi-stakeholder partnership for the implementation of the programs, projects, activities, and initiatives of the city government.

She said the LPCLGEA also aims to institutionalize reward and recognition periodically or as the need arises, which also provides incentives and interventions to motivate employees who have contributed ideas, suggestions, excellent accomplishments, significant career milestones, and personal development efforts.

The award was witnessed by Atty. Odilon L. Pasaraba, Undersecretary for Project Development Management of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG); Atty. Ana Lyn R. Baltazar-Cortez, DILG Assistant Regional Director-National Capital Region; Mary Anne B. Planas, City Director- DILG Las Piñas; Brig. Gen. Mark Danglait Pespes, Southern Police District (SPD) director; and Las Piñas City police chief Col. Jaime O. Santos.

The awards and recognition program consists of two categories, namely the city-level awards and the barangay-level awards, which were followed by the launching of the Las Pinas City Lupon Tagapamayapa Hymn led by representatives of Barangay Talon Singko.

Under the category of City Level Awards, there are High Functionality on the Las Pinas City Peace and Order Council (LPCPOC); Safest City in Southern Metro Manila; High Functionality on the Las Pinas City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (LPCADAC); Ideal Function for both the Local Council for Protection of Children (LCPC) and the Local Committee on Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Women and Children (LCAT-VAWC); Functional Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP); and Functional Fisheries Compliance Audit.

Aguilar added that also included under the City Level Awards are Regional Recognition on Manila Bay Clean-Up, Rehabilitation, and Preservation (MBCRP) Program; Regional Recognition on Halina's Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay (HAPAG)-Kalinga Program; City Nutrition Awards; Best Garden Award; and the Seal of 4Ps-Grand Winner Pantawid Farmers ng Talon Kuatro-Livelihood Association.