Basista Wins SGLG while Dagupan City Fails

 

SMALL TOWN BEATS BIG CITY ON GARNERRING GOLD –STANDARD NAT’L AWARD

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

Small town Basista has beaten Dagupan City in this year’s winner of the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) – the gold standard of all awards among local government units (LGUs) -- by meeting all if not most of the criteria given by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) when they were evaluated last year.

CHIEF EXECUTIVES. Basista Mayor Jolly R. Resuello (left) and Dagupan City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez.

The fourth class Basista under the stewardship of its four years’ Mayor Jolly R. Resuello navigated successfully the seven governance areas needed for an SGLG’s accolade. They were the Financial Administration; Disaster Preparedness; Social Protection; Peace and Order; Business Friendliness and Competitiveness; Environmental Protection; and Tourism, Culture and the Arts.

Basista – awardees of three SGLG since Resuello became a mayor of the rustic landlocked town in June 30, 2019 – received last December 14 at the Manila Hotel in Manila the SGLG 2023 from DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos. He was accompanied by Vice Mayor Dante Bustarde and other luminaries from Basista.

DAGUPAN CITY

Dagupan City under the helm of Mayor Belen T. Fernandez shocked many spectators in Pangasinan by failing to win the prestigious 2023 SGLG.

 But a kibitzer worth his salt would be nonchalant if he knows that under the criteria for the Financial Administration the coastal second class city - mired into squabbles with then Mayor Brian Lim versus the majority lawmakers in the Sangguniang Panlungsod – had been a candidate for the fiasco based on its delayed passage of its 2022 budget.

The basis for this year’s SGLG was the criteria of the LGUs in 2022.

Here how an LGU hurdles the Financial Administration:

1)      Unqualified or qualified COA opinion;

2)      Compliance with Full Disclosure Policy;

3)       Local revenue collection growth (average for three years);

4)      Utilization rate of 20% internal revenue allotment component;

5)       Functional municipal development council;

6)       Utilization rate of Performance Challenge Fund;

7)       Utilization rate of Bottom-up Budgeting/Assistance to Municipalities Fund;

8)       Approved annual budget

 

At No. 8, the P1.35 billion budget for Dagupan City was only approved by the majority of the lawmaking body - identified with Lim’s political nemesis former Mayor Fernandez – on June 15, 2022.

The Local Government Code dictates that a budget for succeeding year should be deliberated on or before the end of the current fiscal year – which on this case was year 2021 (Section 319). The ordinance enacting the annual budget shall take effect at the beginning of the ensuing calendar year which on year 2022 (Section320).

 Failure to do so would prejudice No. 4 (Utilization rate of 20% internal revenue allotment component of the budget) thus depriving the leadership’s constituency for development projects like infrastructures (Section 287). 

(NOTE: When Fernandez reclaimed the mayorship by defeating Lim on the May 9, 2022 election, the majority members of the lawmaking body identified with Lim would not approve the P1.3 billion 2023 budget because Fernandez would not divulge the names of her 1,900 job order employees (JOEs), barangay health workers and others to the critical opposition majority – a clear violation of Section 455 parag. IV of the Code that says: “The City Mayor...provide such information and data needed or requested by said sanggunian in the performance of its legislative functions”.  It was also a violation of No.2 (full disclosure compliance policy of the SGLG). It was only approved last September through deceit by the minority councilors identified with Fernandez. This sleight of hands had been reproached as illegal by a letter from the Department of Budget Management (DBM) received by the SP early this month, according to Councilor Red Erfe - Mejia during the session in December 12, 2023. Would Mayor Fernandez, the minority councilors and others become liable to criminal cases like malversation, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the non-bailable Plunder Law and others for railroading the P1.3 billion?  This budget’s brouhaha would surely discriminate again the bid of the second class city for an SGLG award to be given next year) .

BASISTA

An exhilarated Resuello on its Facebook Page proudly told the public that for the third time his administration won the gold standard bequeathed by the DILG to towns, cities and provinces all over country.

GOLD STANDARD. Basista Mayor Jolly R. Resuello (2nd from left) receives from Department of Interior & Local Government Sec. Benjamin Abalos (extreme left) the 2023 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) - the gold standard of all accolades a local government unit in the Philippines could recieve from the national government.

“Itong parangal na ito ay ating nasungkit sa pamamagitan ng pagkakaisa ng bawat opisyales ng ating bayan. Isang group effort na pinagkaisahang gawin upang maabot ang tagumpay na makuha itong muli,” the upbeat mayor stressed.

His cited that indispensable collaboration of his office with Vice Mayor Dante Bustarde, members of the lawmaking body, department heads, unit heads and the employees, the police in the municipality, the public school teachers in the town, and the leaders of the villages there has given positive result.

“Asahan ninyo na ang local na pamahalaan ng Bayan ng Basista ay magpapatuloy at hinding - hindi magsasawa sa pagbibigay ng serbisyo at pagpapa-progreso sa inyong lahat at sa ating mahal na Bayan ng Basista,” Resuello added.

The 24 towns and three cities in Pangasinan that garnered the 2023 SGLG awards were Aguilar, Alcala, Anda, Asingan, Balungao, Bani, Basista, Bugallon, Burgos, Infanta, Lingayen, Malasiqui, Mapandan, Rosales, San Fabian, San Manuel, San Nicolas, Sta. Barbara, Sta. Maria, Sto. Tomas, Tayug,  Urbiztondo and Villasis and the cities of Alaminos, San Carlos and Urdaneta.

DILG SEC. ABALOS

DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos has urged the 493 Seal of Good Local SGLG awardees this year to share their success stories with other LGUs.

Of the SGLG awardees for 2023, 28 are provinces, 64 cities, and 401 municipalities.

Enacted through Republic Act No. 11292 or "The Seal of Good Local Governance Act of 2019," the SGLG is an institutionalized award, incentive, honor, and recognition-based program that encourages LGUs’ commitment to continuous progress and improve their performance along various governance areas.

All LGU awardees will receive an SGLG marker and incentive fund of P4 million for provinces, P2.3 million for cities, and P1.8 million for municipalities.