P’SINAN, 44 TOWNS HURDLE PRESTIGIOUS GFH

DAGUPAN CITY – The provincial government of Pangasinan and all its 43 towns including the independent component Dagupan City passed the 2025 Good Financial Housekeeping (GFH) based on the evaluation of the Department of Interior and Local (DILG) released in 2026.

On the March 9, 2026 Summary signed and released to the public by lawyer Rolynne A. Javier, CESO V, who is the Officer-in-Charge of the Bureau of the Local Government Supervision of the DILG, it stated there that all the four provincial governments in Region-1 and the forty-four towns’ local governments in Pangasinan hurdle the GFH.

GFH is a standard of fiscal discipline and transparency used by the DILG to assess local governments.

Passing this assessment guarantees that public funds are spent properly and citizens are kept informed of local expenditures.

According to Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe de Vera-Parayno, achieving the GFH was the result of the collective efforts of the local government officials and employees to ensure that every fund entrusted by the public is used properly, responsibly, and with accountability, as posted on Facebook by her public information office.

Core Requirements

To be conferred with GFH, an LGU must pass two major criteria:

1. Commission on Audit (COA) Opinion: The LGU must receive an Unqualified or Qualified COA opinion for the preceding year. This means the financial statements accurately represent the local government's financial position without major red flags.
2. Full Disclosure Policy (FDP): The LGU must fully and transparently disclose how local budgets, revenues, and expenditures are being used. These documents must be regularly posted in conspicuous places locally and updated on the official FDP Portal.

Why It Matters

• Accountability: It ensures government resources are used efficiently for the direct benefit of local communities.
• Access to Programs: Passing GFH grants the LGU access to various national government program windows and performance-based incentive funds.
• Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG): GFH is a core component and a prerequisite for achieving the coveted SGLG award, which measures holistic local governance.