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MANILA, Philippines — More local government units (LGUs) were honored with the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) in 2024, the interior department’s initiative to recognize performance in transparency and accountability.
This year, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) conferred the prestigious seal to 714 LGUs in ceremonies at the Manila Hotel from Monday to Tuesday, Dec. 9 to 10.
Article continues after this advertisementThe awards’ 2024 edition kept up an upward trend in the number of LGUs receiving the seal in recent years. When the program returned in 2022, the prize was given to 352 LGUs. In 2023, there were 493.
FEATURED STORIES NEWSINFO COA told: Release info on Office of the President’s secret funds NEWSINFO Secret fund use hits P10B; OVP outspends 4 security agencies NEWSINFO Grab PH to revamp cancellation policies, user experience by Q1 of 2025There were no 2020 or 2021 editions of the SGLG due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Further, the 2024 SGLG tripled the numbers of the first SGLG awards ceremony in 2015, which gave the honor to 254 LGUs.
Article continues after this advertisementAmong the 714 LGUs given the seal in 2024, 41 were provincial governments, 96 were city governments and 577 were municipal governments.
Article continues after this advertisementThis indicated that, overall, 41.42 percent of the Philippines’ 1,724 provinces, cities and municipalities achieved the distinction.
Article continues after this advertisementAccording to the DILG, the 2024 SGLG Incentive Fund had a total of P980,281,000.
READ: 493 local governments get incentive fund for good performance
Article continues after this advertisementProvincial LGU awardees would be granted P3 million each, while city LGU awardees would receive P2 million each and municipality LGU awardees would get P1,153,000 each.
Central Luzon (Region 3) had the most honorees with 106 LGUs, followed by Ilocos Region (Region 1) with 83 and Western Visayas (Region 6) with 62.
READ: 53 localities in Eastern Visayas get SGLG award from DILG
Meanwhile, 14 of the National Capital Region’s 17 cities and municipalities were recognized.
Remulla: ‘Good governance should unite’DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla congratulated the local chief executives, relating his remarks to his own experience as former governor of Cavite province and his clan’s rivalry with the family of Sen. Francis Tolentino, who also attended the ceremony.
“Simula 1963 hanggang 2016, ang Remulla at Tolentino sa Cavite ay hindi magkakampi,” Remulla said at the ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
(From 1963 to 2016, the Remullas and the Tolentinos of Cavite were not allies.)
“Laging magkaaway sa eleksyon. Tinalo pa ng kapatid niya ang kapatid ko sa eleksyon noon. Pero dumarating ang panahon na namumulat tayo sa bagong estilo ng pamamalakad,” he added.
(They were always at odds with one another during elections. His brother defeated my brother in an election before. But time came when we came to our senses to a new style of governance.)
Remulla was referring to a time when his brother, Gilbert, a journalist and former representative; was defeated by Tolentino’s brother, Abraham, the Mayor of Tagaytay City; in the 2013 election for the Cavite 7th congressional district seat.
The interior secretary is also the younger brother of incumbent Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, who also represented Cavite in the House of Representatives.
READ: Jonvic is new DILG chief, says brother Remulla
The younger Remulla was Cavite governor from 2010 to 2016 then again from 2019 until his appointment to the DILG post in October 2024.
“Dumating ang panahon na nag-usap-usap ang mga pamilya sa Cavite at nagkaisa kami,” the interior secretary said.
(Time came when the political families of Cavite talked and came together.)
Remulla touted that his home province posted 15 SGLG awardees out of 23 LGUs in 2024.
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“Ano’ng ibig sabihin niyan? (What does that mean?) Good governance should unite us all. It should not divide us. Politics divides usskygaming777, but good governance should put us all together,” he added.
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