CITY OF TAGUM, DAVAO DEL NORTE - This city’s sound fiscal management and its full compliance of the national government’s full disclosure policy fueled the city government’s image of being a champion of “excellent local governance” thus being conferred the prestigious Seal of Good Housekeeping by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Speaking before employees of the city government during their regular flag-raising ceremony last September 24, 2012, Mayor Rey T. Uy expressed that this award is not possible without the support of everybody who became the front-liners of giving genuine public service.

“Dili ni mahitabo kung wala ta tanan naningkamot,” said Mayor Uy.

City Department Interior and Local Government Director Eliza P. Mendoza officially handed out the said accolade in behalf of her department.

The said recognition came with a three million pesos cash prize, aside from the 15-kilo official glass marker bearing the signature of the late Sec. Jesse M. Robredo who pioneered the program in line with the national government’s commitment to aggressively scale up interventions to elevate the practice of governance that values transparency, accountability, participation and performance into an institutionalized status.

As a brainchild program of Secretary Robredo, the Seal of Good Housekeeping is awarded to local government units in the country with good performance in internal housekeeping focusing in four areas: Good Planning, Sound Fiscal Management, Transparency and Accountability and Valuing of Performance Information.

Director Mendoza cited that all financial transactions of the LGU are posted in public places such as the city hall, SP session hall lobby and in the public market so that the public may know.

These essential financial documents can also be seen online through the city’s official website: www.tagumcity.gov.ph.

Aside from these financial transactions, the local government’s fiscal budget, bidding documents and bidding results are also made public.

Mendoza’s office is religiously monitoring and coordinating with all agencies concerned as to the posting of documents which should be updated monthly and must be in order.

This is the second major award garnered by LGU Tagum from DILG, following its historic win of the 2011 Gawad Pamana ng Lahi for Region XI, beating other local government units in the region including the highly-urbanized City of Davao.

Tagum grabbed the said award for its commendable performance in administrative governance, social governance, economic governance and environmental governance. LOUIE LAPAT OF CIO TAGUM