The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set to confer the prestigious 2023 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) to 493 local government units (LGUs) in recognition of their commitment to efficient leadership and outstanding public service.

DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos congratulated the 493 LGUs for meeting the stringent criteria for this year’s assessment.

“Pagbati sa ating 2023 SGLG awardees! Tunay na kahanga-hanga ang inyong tagumpay dahil mas mahigpit ang ating batayan sa pagsusuri sa mga pamahalaang lokal ngayong taon. Keep up the good work!” he said.

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

Of the 493 SGLG awardees, 28 are provinces, 64 cities, and 401 municipalities.

A total of 22 LGU awardees for this year are 7-time passers, as they were able to sustain their good performance and drive for local reforms since 2015 when the SGLG was first conferred.

This year, 94 LGUs also entered the circle of awardees for the first time.

Emphasizing the progressive nature of SGLG, the DILG Secretary highlighted the upgraded performance measures, focusing on outcome-oriented efforts to address current challenges in local administration and public service delivery.

“We are now gauging outcome-oriented efforts of the LGUs instead of just their outputs. Dito natin makikita kung may epekto ba talaga ang mga ginagawa ng LGUs sa kanilang mga komunidad,” Abalos said.

The DILG Chief underscored the SGLG’s role in influencing LGUs to align with the administration’s priorities and the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.

With it, the Seal serves as a guide for direction-setting and enhancing performance information.

To receive the SGLG award, LGUs must pass the assessment criteria across various governance areas, namely: financial administration; disaster preparedness; social protection and sensitivity.

Also, health compliance and responsiveness; sustainable education; business-friendliness and competitiveness; safety, peace and order; environmental management; tourism, heritage development, culture and arts; and youth development.

Among all the regions of the country, Region III registered the highest number of SGLG awardees with 84, followed by Region I with 70, and Region II with 41.

All LGU awardees will receive an SGLG marker and the SGLG Incentive Fund of P4-million for provinces, P2.3-million for cities, and P1.8-million for municipalities. The SGLG-IF shall be utilized to support their local development initiatives aligned with national goals.

The 2023 SGLG national awarding ceremony will be held on December 13-14, 2023 at The Manila Hotel.