43 LGUs in Cebu recognize for ‘good financial housekeeping'

FIVE cities and 38 towns in Cebu Province received the 2014 Seal of Good Local Governance: Good Financial Housekeeping (GFH) from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The Province is also a recipient of the same recognition in Central Visayas.

The GFH is one of three core assessments of the DILG for a local government unit (LGU) to receive the seal of good local governance, formerly known as the seal of good housekeeping.

Medellin Mayor Ricky Ramirez was the first to announce through the social networking site Facebook, that his town is one of the GFH recipients.

For an LGU to receive the seal of good local governance, it should pass all three core assessments—GFH, disaster pre- paredness and social protection.

The LGU should also pass one of these essential assessments—business friendliness and competitiveness, environmental protection, and law and order and public safety.

Last Feb. 13, the DILG posted on its official website the list of GFH recipients.

Cities

For the category of cities only Mandaue, Carcar, Danao, Lapu-Lapu and Naga passed the GFH assessment.

The cities of Cebu, Bogo, Talisay and Toledo did not make the cut.

DILG 7 Director Ananias Villacorta said that the department can issue a certification for to the LGUs so that they can easily avail of loans in banks.

In an interview, Ramirez said that Me- dellin instituted the necessary changes lacking before.

“It's not easy. You really have to work on it. There are a lot of changes in the system,” he said.

The mayor believes that the town's efficient collection of business and real property taxes made the difference last year.

Villacorta said that the findings of the regional assessment team is submitted to the DILG Central Office in Manila for validation.

The other GFH recipients are Alegria, Argao, Asturias, Badian, Balamban, Bantayan, Barili, Boljoon, Borbon, Carmen, Catmon, Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Daanbantayan, Dalaguete, Dumanjug and Ginatilan. Completing the list of recipients are Liloan, Madridejos, Malabuyoc, Minglanilla, Moalboal, Oslob, Pinamungajan, Poro, Ronda, Samboan, San Fernando, San Francisco, San Remigio, Santa Fe, Santander, Sibonga, Tabogon, Tabuelan and Tuburan.