BACOLOD City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) of Bacolod is one of the national awardees in the 2023 Local Legislative Awards (LLA) for demonstrating innovation and exemplary practices in local legislation.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said LLA is a joint program of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Members of the city council led by Familiaran, together with Hennessy Gasataya, local government operations officer of DILG in Region 6, received P50,000 during the PCL yearend assembly at the World Trade Center in Pasay City on Dec. 5.
Two separate recognitions were received by the Bacolod SP: being a national finalist after winning the regional level in the highly urbanized city (HUC) category, and as the second runner-up national winner for the HUC category.
“These are in recognition of the significant accomplishments in local legislation that ultimately contributed to the attainment of desirable socio-economic and environmental outcomes that benefitted the community and enhanced the development of the local government unit,” Familiaran said.
The cities of Quezon and Mandaue were recognized as the champion and first runner-up, respectively. There were 33 HUCs vying for the award.
In October, the PCL awarded a plaque to the city council for being the regional champion during a ceremony held in Iloilo City.
Familiaran explained that evaluation is based on the performance of the previous term, which covered the period from 2019 to 2022.
The award focuses on some of the Sanggunian’s best practices, such as responsiveness of the legislative agenda, availability of legislative documents, effectiveness and efficiency, legislative citations and awards, and capacity development for legislators and staff./PN
