The Department of Interior and Local Government( DILG) announced yesterday that nine local government units in Cebu Province will be awarded the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG).

The nine were among the 493 cities and municipalities that passed the final evaluation.

This year, only Bogo City passed among all cities in Central Visayas. While the Cebu municipalities were Alegria, Borbon, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Samboan, San Remigio, Sogod, and Tudela.

Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura told DAILY TRIBUNE, "This is team effort between the LGU officials and department heads, and the barangay LGU with the support of our barangay captains and officials and most of all our constituencies."

"I am just their manager/ implementor and planner. I am so happy, we got this, this year. Four years in the making," Shimura added.

Shimura is the president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines – Cebu chapter (LMP-Cebu).

For Sogod Mayor Moonyeen Durano-Streegan, " We are blessed to be the only municipality in the Province to be awarded with the Seal of Good Local Governance for five consecutive years."

"I would like to thank the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for recognizing the efforts of the LGUs on good local governance through the SGLG," she told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Durano-Streegan added, " We, in the Municipality of Sogod, believe that the SGLG is a platform for all LGUs to trumpet our best practices. It is a robust parameter guiding us in providing the Sogoranons a transparent, accountable, and efficient local government."

The SGLG was institutionalized in 2019 through Republic Act No. 11292 as an award, incentive, honor, and recognition-based program.

LGUs are recognized for their transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, preparedness for challenges posed by disasters, sensitivity to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized sectors as well as the implementation of health programs, investment, and employment promotion among others. Its holistic approach to different programs makes it very difficult for LGUs to get such a seal.