3 COMPONENT CITIES, 24 TOWNS MAKE IT

FOR the first time since 2015, the Pangasinan provincial government failed to earn the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award this year although three of its component cities and 24 of its component municipalities bagged the prestigious Department of the Interior and Local Government’s  (DILG) award for their outstanding performance in year 2022.

Only two other provinces in the region —Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur—were named awardees in the SGLG list. The other province that failed to be cited was La Union.

The Dagupan City government also suffered the same disappointing fate like Pangasinan but this did not come as a surprise to Mayor Belen Fernandez.

The mayor said she half-expected the decision because she only served for only half a year in 2022, and this year’s annual budget was only approved last September and the Supplemental Budget No. 1 proposed by the Mayor for different programs and projects was thumbed down by the seven-member majority in the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

The province’s three component cities that bagged the SGLG awards were Alaminos City, San Carlos City and Urdaneta City.

The 24 towns that clinched this year’s 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.

Among the 20 towns that failed to win the SGLG award for their 2022 performance were Governor Ramon Guico III’s hometown Binalonan, Manaoag, Bolinao, Binmaley and Calasiao.

Pangasinan was lionized in the past for being an awardee for six consecutive years—2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, all under the administrations of Gov. Amado Espino Jr. and Gov. Amado Espino III. (There was no SGLG award in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

It was Gov. Guico who received the SGLG award for Pangasinan’s outstanding performance in 2021 for which Pangasinan earned incentives in the form of developmental projects.

Last year’s evaluation was based last six months of the Espino III administration and the  other half by Guico administration. Similarly for Dagupan City: first half by the Brian Lim administration then the second was continued by the Belen Fernandez.

All the awardees will receive their incentives in ceremonies in Manila on December 13 and 14, in a ceremony. (Leonardo Micua)

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