Enhanced LGU awards to draw biodiversity financing

Enhanced LGU awards to draw biodiversity financing | Daily Tribune

Stronger environmental safeguards will be included as criteria in the annual awards for outstanding local government units (LGUs) as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) aims to bolster the protection of local green spaces and other natural resources.

The Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) is bestowed on the LGUs that meet performance standards in 10 aspects of governance, from financial sustainability to environmental management. Launched in 2014, the SGLG was designed to push LGUs to continuously enhance public performance.

“Our LGUS are the first line of defense when it comes to natural calamities like the stronger storms and droughts brought about by climate change,” Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo said.

From 23 to 28 January 2025, officers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), United Nations Development Program’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (UNDP-BIOFIN), DILG and the LGUs of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, shall discuss ways to mainstream environmental safeguards into both the SGLG and the country’s LGU development plans, paving the way for more financial investments in biodiversity conservation.

“The DENR is committed to provide the necessary guidance, resources and technical assistance to help our LGUs comply with our new environmental indicators,” DENR Undersecretary for Luzon and Visayas Field Operations Atty. Juan Miguel Cuna said. “No LGU shall be left behind in achieving these goals.”

Around 100 participants are slated to attend the workshops, which will help LGUs comply with the SGLG’s new biodiversity requirements, while eventually developing toolkits to help both the DENR and DILG in assisting participating LGUs.

“Hopefully, our workshops will allow every LGU in the country to meet SGLG standards, greatly enhancing their capacity to protect their respective natural resources,” UNDP-BIOFIN Philippines National project manager Anabelle Plantilla said.

“As a bonus, LGUs that meet the new SGLG standards shall in turn be rewarded with a special budgetary allotment,” she added.

“These SGLG learning workshops are a welcome development for our LGUs. We hope they will enhance the LGU’s understanding of the unique biodiversity of Negros and our other regions,” said Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. executive director Lisa Paguntalan-Marte.

“We want to help improve their capacity to develop activities and programs that will make tomorrow’s cities and towns more resilient to the challenges of changing times,” Paguntalan-Marte added.

The SGLG’s environment management governance section formerly focused on solid waste management and disaster preparedness. In 2023, it finally expanded to cover the establishment and upkeep of public parks and green spaces, plus the sustainable management of wetlands like coasts, rivers and lakes.

In the coming years, it might further expand to cover wildlife conservation and protection, proper forest land-use plans and a requirement for LGUs to retain a Local Environment and Natural Resources Officer.

“Governance is not limited to just human concerns — it also includes the care and stewardship of the natural systems that sustain our lives and communities,” DILG Negros Island regional director Lailyn Ortiz said through a message delivered by DILG Negros Oriental provincial director Farah Diba Gentuya.