Albay gets highest number of Good Housekeeping Awards in Bicol

By Marlon A. Loterte

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, June 12 (PIA) -- Albay has topped the list of provinces in the Bicol region with the highest number of good housekeeping awards.

Out of 34 local government units (LGUs) in Bicol region, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has conferred the “Seal of Good Housekeeping” to 11 local governments in Albay.

Local governments in Albay that notched the award and will receive P1 million monetary incentives included Legazpi City and the towns of Malinao, Bacacay, Camalig, Jovellar, Manito, Oas, Rau-rapu, Polangui, Malilipot and Sto. Domingo.

The awarding ceremony, led by DILG secretary Jesse Robredo, was held during the DILG Tapatan Roadshow on Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change Adaptation recently conducted at the La Piazza Convention Center here.

Robredo disclosed that the P500 million budget allocated last year for the Performance Challenge Fund, which serve as cash incentives for local governments that will qualify the evaluation for transparency and accountability was increased to P750 million this year.

Other LGUs in the region that qualified for the Seal of Good Housekeeping Award are Basud, Daet and Paracale for Camarines Norte, Baao, Calabanga, Bombon, Del gallego, Libmanan Ragay and Naga City for Camarines Sur.

In Catanduanes, Bagamanoc, Baras, San Andres and Panganiban likewise received the same honor together with Gubat, Juban, Prieto Diaz and Sta. Magdalena in Sorsogon and Monreal and Masbate City in Masbate.

The Seal of Good Housekeeping is part of the performance-based incentive granted by the DILG to LGUs with good performance in internal housekeeping particularly on the areas of Sound Fiscal Management, Transparency and Accountability and Valuing Performance Management. (MAL/SAA-PIA5 Albay)