ILOILO – The hard work and dedication of the provincial government, department heads, local government units (LGUs), barangay officials, and the community in the province of Iloilo have paid off in 2023.
Receiving multiple awards and recognition on behalf of the province has made Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. proud of everyone.
This year, the province became a recipient of the Galing Pook Awards.
The provincial government’s “Mobilizing Communities through People-Centered Zero Open Defecation (ZOD) Movement towards Sustainable Sanitation” was spotlighted as a 2023 Galing Pook Awardee on Oct. 12.
With the ZOD movement, through the efforts of the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) and Provincial Population Office (PPO), the province attained ZOD status (Level 1) across all of Iloilo’s 1,721 barangays, making it the country’s first ZOD province.
“Our achievements are measured by the recognition that is given by our partners in the private sector and the national government; kapareho sang Galing Pook Awards; our zero open defecation being the first province in the whole country recognized by the DILG [Department of Interior and Local Government] and private sector,” said Defensor.
He added: “Para sa aton, it’s a validation that the program is good; it’s a validation of the work of our department heads, our LGUs; this is the product of all the work of our mayors, our municipal health offices, barangay sanitation officers, and barangay health functionaries.”
Another achievement for the province was its sixth Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award from DILG.
“Our SGLG, ang siling naton, is the standard of good governance; it is not a goal; those are standards. We were given the award, and it means that we were able to meet the standards. We are happy,” the governor said.
For Defensor, this feat shows that the provincial government was able to efficiently and effectively deliver its services, programs, projects, and plans in different fields.
Dubbed the “mother of all awards,” SGLG is the highest distinction given to LGUs that exemplify transparency and accountability.
To pass the 2022 SGLG, local governments must pass these 10 assessment areas: Good Financial Administration; Disaster Preparedness; Social Protection and Sensitivity Programs; 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.
“Ang aton trabaho validated by the DILG,” Defensor said.
In 2023, it was a source of pride for the province to be recognized by the Department of Energy (DOE) for its exemplary performance and pioneering initiatives in implementing the Government Energy Management Program (GEMP).
Iloilo and Nueva Vizcaya were the only provinces that won the Energy Efficiency Excellence Award.
GEMP is a government-wide program implemented under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (Republic Act 11285) to reduce consumption of electricity and petroleum products through electricity efficiency and conservation and efficiency and conservation in fuel use of government vehicles, among others.
The Energy Efficiency Excellence Award is one of the most prestigious awards on a national scale.
It aims to promote the implementation of energy management systems and best practices for energy efficiency in all energy-consuming establishments within the country, including government facilities.
“For us, that is a major achievement because, in the past, energy was not a core function of the LGU. That is why wala pa sang una sa vocabulary sang LGU ang renewable energy, but it is right now,” the defendant said.
The local chief executive also considered the improvement of health facilities in the province through the help of the public-private partnership (PPP), like donations of dialysis centers in selected district hospitals, as achievements.
The provincial government has also constructed hundreds of classrooms under the “Bes Probins Program” or “Bulig Eskwela sang Probinsya Program,” as well as Iloilo, recording an 8.5 percent growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022 from 4.5 percent in 2021, among others.
Next year, Defensor eyes more improvements in the agriculture sector through improving the rice production of farmers and implementing a barangay-based tourism program.
He explained that this year’s approach and in the coming years are all aligned in his development mantra MoRProGRes Iloilo or Movement for a Robust, Progressive and Globally-competitive and Resilient Province of Iloilo, which sets the direction of the province in achieving progress.
“MoReProGRes” has the following specific goals:
* to increase investments and employment opportunities
* to attain food security
* to provide accessible health and social services
* to promote public safety
* to protect and manage the resources and assets of the province
* to provide effective, efficient, and transparent government administrative services.
MoRProgGRes encompasses food security, tourism, and climate change resilience. Here are the objectives:
* to promote the production of high-value crops in various agricultural settings for food security
* to blend ornamental gardening, landscaping, and high-value crop production
* to create an agri-tourism destination for tourists, especially Ilonggo weekenders
* to create green agri-tourism destinations that promote the use of recycled or upcycled materials
* to contribute to the province’s climate change response./PN
