Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos on Tuesday lauded the efforts of the 15 top-performing city and municipal local legislative councils for enacting responsive measures that created huge impact in their respective areas.

In his message during the 2023 Local Legislative Awards (LLA) held in Pasay City, Abalos congratulated the local legislative champions for passing ordinances that shape for the better the social, economic, and environmental landscape of their cities and municipalities.

“Your commitment to legislative excellence has not only set a standard for others to follow but has also significantly contributed to the advancement of our communities,” he said.

“Congratulations and may you continue to be beacons of inspiration for local governance,” he added.

This year’s national winners are Quezon City for the highly urbanized cities (HUC); City of Santiago in Isabela for independent component cities (ICC); and City of Bogo in Cebu for component cities (CC).

Also, the municipality of San Mariano, Isabela for 1st to 3rd class municipalities; and Agoncillo, Batangas for 4th to 6th class municipalities.

Meanwhile, the first and second runners-up are Mandaue City and Bacolod City for HUCs; cities of Ormoc in Leyte and Cotabato in Maguindanao for ICCs; and cities of San Fernando in Pampanga and Batangas for CCs, respectively.

Also declared as first and second runners-up are the municipalities of Tigbauan in Iloilo and Floridablanca in Pampanga for 1st-3rd class municipalities; and Hungduan in Ifugao and New Lucena in Iloilo for 4th-6th class municipalities, respectively.

They each received a Plaque of Recognition and a cash prize of P100,000 for the national winners, P75,000 for the 1st runners-up, and P50,000 for the 2nd runners-up, from the Philippine Councilors League (PCL).

The Sanggunians were assessed based on their responsiveness to the legislative agenda, availability of legislative documents, effectiveness, efficiency, legislative citations and awards, and capacity development for legislators and staff.

Among this year’s local legislative best practices are Quezon City’s free bus ride, and anti-discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity by Mandaluyong City and the City of Manila.

The LLA is a joint initiative of the DILG, the Vice Mayors League of the Philippines (VMLP), and the PCL to advance local governance and recognize grassroots legislative champions whose efforts significantly impact public service delivery.

Original Article at: https://www.dilg.gov.ph/news/DILG-cites-15-top-performing-city-municipal-councils/NC-2023-1273