ILOILO — The Iloilo provincial government and all 43 local government units (LGUs) have completed a province-wide pre-assessment aimed at ensuring full compliance with the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG), positioning the province for a strong showing in the upcoming national evaluation.
Conducted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) – Iloilo Province, the 2026 “Panghimanwa” assessment covered all municipalities and the lone component city, evaluating overall performance in public service delivery and governance standards.
The province-wide review, which ran from February 5 to April 29, was led by the DILG Iloilo Assessment Team headed by Provincial Director Engr. Carmelo Orbista, with the goal of sharpening local governance systems ahead of the national SGLG assessment.
“We are proud to announce that the Iloilo Provincial Government, along with all 42 municipalities and 1 component city, successfully completed this Provincial Pre-Assessment,” the DILG-Iloilo Province said in a statement.
The final leg of the assessment focused on the provincial government, with Provincial Administrator Dr. Raul Banias representing Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. Department heads actively participated by presenting key accomplishments and supporting documents.
The Provincial Assessment Team conducted a comprehensive review to ensure that Iloilo continues to meet high standards of transparency, accountability, and service delivery.
Based on the evaluation, the DILG Assessment Team confirmed that the provincial government successfully met the requirements across all 10 critical SGLG governance areas, including financial administration, disaster preparedness, social protection and sensitivity, health compliance and responsiveness, business-friendliness and competitiveness, sustainable education, environmental management, safety, peace and order, tourism, heritage development, culture and arts, and youth development.
Following the assessment, DILG-Iloilo Province said the results will guide further improvements and identify the support needed by LGUs to ensure the entire province achieves 100 percent readiness for the SGLG.
Dubbed the “mother of all awards,” the SGLG is the highest recognition granted to LGUs that demonstrate excellence in transparency, accountability, and people-centered governance.
The program remains a key institutional mechanism that promotes inclusive reforms and strengthens the culture of good governance among local government units amid evolving challenges in public administration./PN
