LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, July 21 (PNA) — The Pangasinan provincial government under the leadership of Governor Amado Espino Jr. received on Tuesday its performance challenge fund (PCF) worth P7 million from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 1.
The amount was given to the province as its cash incentive for bagging the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH) in 2012. Pangasinan also received the same cash incentive in 2011 for also winning the SGH.
Espino personally received the amount from DILG Region 1 director Julie Daquioag who handcarried the same to the Provincial Capitol.
Daquioag cited that Pangasinan has complied and even has gone beyond the targets set in good housekeeping, particularly on financial management, as evidenced by approved Commission on Audit reports.
In order to qualify for the award, a local government must score high in planning, budgeting, revenue mobilization, financial management and budget execution, procurement and resource mobilization, said Daquioag.
Meanwhile, Espino vowed to work even more for the continuous development of the province in different areas of governance as on financial housekeeping.
According to provincial planning and development officer Benita Pizzaro, the P7-million PCF, which was the cash incentive of the province for bagging the SGH award in 2012, will be utilized for various developmental projects.
She said they have proposed that the amount be used in funding the rehabilitation of provincial bridges.
The DILG has sent priority list of projects which can be funded by the incentive money, which includes facilities related to education, health, tourism, market, and disaster risk reduction and management, Pizzaro said.
Pangasinan was among the 28 provinces and 248 LGUs- provinces, cities and municipalities – in the country that received the incentive fund.
The PCF is worth P7 million for provinces, P3 million for cities, and P1 million for municipalities.
Other provinces which are 2012 SGH passers are Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Isabela, Pampanga, Tarlac, Batangas, Cavite, Quezon, Rizal, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Albay, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Cebu, Zamboanga del Norte, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Sur.
In 2011, Pangasinan also received the same recognition and the incentive fund, which was used for the construction of tourism access roads like the one leading to Tambobong Beach in Dasol.
The SGH was launched in 2011 by former DILG secretary Jesse Robredo to recognize local government units which uphold the principles of accountability and transparency in their governance.
According to the DILG memorandum, SGH “is a program of the Department that gives incentives to provinces, cities, and municipalities that muster in the areas of transparency, accountability, development planning, and financial management.”
In 2014, the DILG scaled up its performance merits with the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG), wherein good financial housekeeping is just one of the core assessment areas. (PNA)