A regional validation for the 2019 Seal of Good Local Governance was conducted in Iloilo City last week with Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III; City Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) head, Atty. Ferdinand Panes; among other city official welcoming validators Cherryl Tacda and Josephine Firmase.

The seal is an incentive program by the DILG that recognizes and rewards local government units for “excellent service and high standards of governance.”

“The purpose of this validation [was] not only to validate if we have complied with all the criteria set by the DILG but this is also a way to know what are the things that we, as a [local government unit], need to do in order to improve our services to the people,” the mayor explained.

The recognition is divided into nine core areas, including disaster preparedness, social protection, peace and order, business-friendliness and competitiveness, environmental protection, tourism, culture and the arts, health, and education; and provinces, municipalities and cities, and barangays are eligible to receive the distinction.

“I have high hopes for this year,” noted Panes.

Last year, Binalbagan was the only Negros town to be conferred the honor.

The Western Visayas earned a total of 37 awards, 17 of which went to municipalities./WDJ