Cebu almost free from illegal drugs

CEBU CITY – Cebu province is nearly drug-free, but it needs to declare 28 villages as totally free from the menace of illegal drugs in order to win the Department of Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Award this year.

Based on the requirements in the peace and order criteria, a provincial government must have 20 percent of its villages cleared of drugs to earn the SGLG plum. Cebu province has 1,066 villages and so far, 185 villages were declared drug-cleared.

Next month, the DILG is set to start its assessment and evaluation of the more than 1,700 local governments for this year’s SGLG Awards.

Governor Hilario Davide III, however, said he is not worried if Cebu Province won’t be able to pass the test of good governance this year since the province has clinched the SGLG awards for three consecutive years.

The governor said they have done everything they could muster but still fell short of the requirements, adding that a fourth SGLG would have been a bonus for the Cebu Provincial Government who has truly strived to improve governance and provide better service to its constituents.

Aside from the SGLG, recognized LGUS also get a share of the Performance Challenge Fund, a millions-of-pesos incentive for local development projects.

To qualify for the SGLG, LGUS must exemplary perform in the fields of financial administration, disaster preparedness, social protection, and peace and order.