Mayors Share How PCF Improved LGU Services, Changed People

Three city and municipal mayors shared how the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) improved their public service delivery and changed the lives of their constituents for the better.

The mayors — Lina Montilla of Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat; Juan Sanchez of Lubang, Occidental Mindoro; and Conception Zarate of Pura, Tarlac — were among the local chief executives who graced the PCF Breakthrough Summit last week at the Icon Hotel in Quezon City.

The PCF is an incentive fund given by the DILG to high-performing LGUs in the country who were conferred with the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG). For 2015, the incentive is PhP7-million for provinces, PhP5-million for cities, and PhP3-million for the municipalities.

Montilla shared how the conferment of the DILG’s Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH) in 2011 for her city had been instrumental in paving the road network in Tacurong City.

She said her city received some PhP3 million incentive fund from the PCF and used it for the construction and rehab of their road network with the additional PhP4.25 million counterpart from five barangays of the city.

“I will summarize the positive change in the lives of my constituents in 3Cs – lesser cost of travel, closer gap between the government and the people, and connection among the communities,” Montilla said.

On the other hand, Sanchez said that the town of Lubang is the smallest and second poorest municipality located in an isolated island. After being conferred with the SGH seal in 2011 and given PhP1 million incentive fund from PCF, the Local Government Unit (LGU) used the amount with PhP1 million LGU counterpart for the construction of Kusang Loob Health Center.

“Health is very important for an isolated island,” Mayor Sanchez said. “That is why the Kusang Loob Health Center is part of the LGU’s bigger dream of ensuring that every household in the municipality is within 7 kilometers from the nearest health facility.”

Meanwhile, Zarate cited how the fourth class municipality of Pura achieved economic growth when it was awarded of the SGH twice.

She said the LGU received a total of PhP2 million PCF incentive fund which was used for the food stalls and improvement of their public market that complemented the dry goods, wet section and grocery section of their new public market.

From the meager income of around PhP471,000 revenue of their public market in 2008, the LGU’s income has increased to PhP1.5 million in 2014.

“Thank you DILG for the PCF incentive award which acknowledges even small LGUs for doing good,” said Zarate.

In a separate statement, DILG Sec. Mel Senen Sarmiento urged other local chief executives to emulate the best practices of these leading LGUs.

“Let us continue to build the strong foundation of good local governance as we move forward in our PCF initiatives,” said Sarmiento.

The PCF Breakthrough Summit, organized by the Bureau of Local Government Development of DILG, was a convergence of LGU beneficiaries, partner stakeholders from Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), Microsoft Corporation, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade -Australian Aid (DFAT-AusAid), Asian Development Bank, and Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC).

The event was attended by city and municipal Mayors, DILG national and regional officials, PCF Regional Focal Persons, and select development partners.

Source: www.dilg.gov.ph