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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
