The Quezon City government has formally received the 2022 Seal of Good Local Governance award from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) during a ceremony at the Manila Hotel.
Mayor Joy Belmonte and City Administrator Michael Alimurung received the award, which was also won by Quezon City in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Quezon City was one of five Metro Manila cities to receive the said honor from the DILG, along with Muntinlupa, Caloocan, Mandaluyong and Navotas.
“On behalf of our QCitizens, we would like to thank the DILG for this tremendous honor. This is a validation of our good governance efforts and effective delivery of services to our constituents,” Belmonte said.
“I also dedicate this award to our fellow workers in the QC government who are tirelessly helping us achieve our goals of providing a better life for QCitizens,” she added.
Established by virtue of Republic Act 11292, the Seal of Good Local Governance is an award, incentive and recognition-based program for all local government units (LGUs) to continually progress and improve their performance in the following areas:
Financial administration; disaster preparedness; social protection and sensitivity program; health compliance and responsiveness; programs for sustainable education; business friendliness and competitiveness; safety, peace and order; environmental management, tourism, heritage development, culture and arts; and youth development.
Meanwhile, for the second straight year, the Quezon City government received a “Beyond Compliant” rating during the 22nd Gawad Kalasag (GK) Seal National Awarding Ceremonies, the QC Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (QCDRRMO) announced recently.
According to the QCDRRMO, Quezon City garnered a rating of 2.69 following the regional validation conducted by the members of the Regional Validation Committee of the GK Seal.
Based on the guidelines, “Beyond Compliant” LGUs get an assessment rating of 2.5 to 3 while “Fully Compliant” LGUs are those that receive a rating of 1.5 to 2.49.
The “beyond compliant” rating means the LGU exceeded the standards for the establishment and functionality of the Local DRRM Council and Local DRRM Office as prescribed under Sections 11 and 12 of Republic Act No. 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Reduction and Management Act.
This marks the second year that Quezon City garnered a “Beyond Compliant” rating since the assessment has been made mandatory for all local government units (LGUs) in the country.
“Ito’y patunay na walang humpay ang ginagawang mga pagkilos ng pamahalaang lungsod para matiyak ang kaligtasan ng ating QCitizens,” Belmonte said.
“Ang award na ito’y magsisilbi nating lakas at inspirasyon para pag-ibayuhin pa ang ating mga programa at proyekto pagdating sa disaster risk reduction,” she added.
The results of the assessment under the GK Seal shall be used by the QCDRRMO to provide standards, guidance and directions in ensuring and sustaining efforts in implementing comprehensive DRRM-CCA programs, Belmonte emphasized.
The GK Seal is a mandatory assessment of LDRRM Councils and Offices of provinces, cities and municipalities in the entire country. In 2020, a decision has been made at the national level to transition from an application-based optional contest to a mandatory assessment of LGUs with all other categories to stay the same.
Before 2020, Quezon City won 1st place in Best Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (Highly Urbanized City Category) in the country for two consecutive years and also placed among the top Government Emergency Response Management (GEM) groups in the National Capital Region (NCR).
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