No SGLG for Cebu City

Congratulations are in order for the local government units that have been cited for the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) for 2019.

For the entire Region 7, the Department of the Interior and Local Government has seen it fit to award only the LGUs of the towns of Talibon and Tubigon in Bohol, the towns of Samboan, San Remigio, and Sogod in Cebu, and the city of Lapu-Lapu.

Along with the recognition comes a hefty Performance Challenge Fund which is sure to make the delivery of basic services even better.

However, noticeably absent in the list is the supposed economic and political heavyweight in the ring of Region 7, Cebu City.

The Queen City of the South, the second in political influence to Imperial Manila, and the birthplace of politicians who have influenced Philippine history seems to have failed to make it to the list of 380 LGUs from all over the country that are set to receive the award this year.

The DILG seems to have found Cebu City wanting or lacking in financial administration, disaster preparedness, social protection, peace and order, business friendliness and competitiveness, environmental management, and tourism and culture and the arts; the key areas that determine whether an LGU is SGLGworthy or not.

Don’t get us wrong, this is not to deride Cebu City officials for coming up short. Surely there are countless strategies carried out by our local executives in their efforts to improve the delivery of basic services that have escaped the notice of the public.

Also, the present administration cannot really be blamed for the faults of the previous one, considering the recent change in administration following the elections earlier this year.

Rather, it would be better to view Cebu City’s absence in this list as a challenge to the current city officials to improve the city’s performance in the key areas that determine SGLG worthiness.

Are city officials up to the challenge?